


A Reason To Smile

by sugarplumfairies



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Angst, Angst and Feels, Dancer Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Developing Friendships, F/M, Grumpy Min Yoongi | Suga, Min Yoongi | Suga Is Bad at Feelings, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-10-23 19:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17689442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarplumfairies/pseuds/sugarplumfairies
Summary: Min Yoongi is a quiet and serious freelance graphic designer who prefers to live like a hermit in his apartment. And he likes it that way. There's a reason why Yoongi chooses to hide himself from the world and why he never wants to leave his sanctuary. Enter Kang Seulgi, a cheerful young woman who moves to the apartment right next to Yoongi's and wants nothing more than to become friends with him, even if she has to force herself into his apartment to do so.





	1. Welcome To The Neighborhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi gets a new neighbor. And he's not happy about it.

**Chapter 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood**

  
There were a lot of things I didn’t like.

Going outside, Converse, cold weather, going outside, crowded places, loud places, going outside, people, couple clothing…

Did I mention I didn’t like going outside?

There was a long list of things I didn’t like but going outside was at the top. And yet, my happy-go-lucky neighbor Hoseok—he considered us friends—who was too loud for my liking was making me do something that combined multiple things on my long list of things I disliked.

Cold weather, going outside, crowded places, and people.

_H: Hey Hyung, funny story 😊 I have to stay late at the dance studio to record a video for YouTube I know I was supposed to go grocery shopping for you today but that sale at the store ends today so you’re going to have to go out and do the shopping yourself_

I stared at the text for at least two minutes.

He had to be kidding me.

_H: Please forgive me!!!_

I breathed out a sigh. I really hated going outside.

_H: I’m so sorry! I’ll make it up to you I promise!_

I let out another sigh.

_Y: You owe me big time…_

_H: Don’t you worry I’ll make sure of that!_

_I closed my laptop and stood up from my living room couch. “One of these days, I’m going to wrap my hands around his neck…” I muttered._

As I walked into my bedroom, I checked the weather on my phone. 43 degrees. Cloudy. Then again, it was March. What was I expecting?

Well _at least it’s not raining._

I took off my shirt and sweatpants and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans, a sweater, and a pair of suede loafers. I fished around in my closet for a gray beanie and a scarf, which I wrapped tightly around my neck, then strapped on a face mask to cover everything but my eyes.

I exited my bedroom and walked over to the coat rack by the front door to grab the long wool coat that I hadn’t worn in a long time. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I left my apartment.

Holly yapped twice from behind me.

I turned around to see my toy poodle sitting in front of me, looking up at me with disapproving eyes. I hardly ever left my apartment, so I was probably throwing him off right now.

I smiled softly down at him as I slid my thin arms though the sleeves of my coat. Holly was one of the few things in my life that brought me joy.

“Sorry, boy, but I’m going to have to leave you for a bit.” I bent down to pat his head. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

I snatched up my car keys and opened the front door. I turned to face Holly and pointed a stern finger at him. “Be good while I’m gone, okay?”

Holly barked once.

I stepped into the hallway and closed and locked the door behind me, then turned to the right and reached the elevator in a few, long strides. The sole reason why I picked this apartment was because of how close it was to the elevator. The less walking I had to do, the better.

I pushed the down button on the elevator. The elevator dinged a few seconds later.

_Please be empty, please be empty, please be empty…_

The doors opened, and I breathed in relief. There was no one on the elevator. Good.

I rode the elevator down to the lobby, then walked outside, where I was slapped in the face by a brisk, spring freeze.

I stuck my hands into my coat pockets and frowned when my fingers failed to grasp any leather gloves. I turned the pockets inside out. There was nothing in them.

 _Where did I stick them?_ The last time I wore this coat, I distinctly remember sticking my gloves back in the pockets.

 _Should I go back inside and look for them?_ I didn’t even know where to look. I didn’t have all day either. I still had work I needed to complete before dinner.

 _It’ll be okay_ , I told myself. There’s no guarantee that you’ll touch anyone.

I scanned the parking lot. Where I had I parked again?

It had been a long time since I walked outside my apartment, but it had been an even longer time since I drove my car anywhere.

Did I even park on this side? Or did I park on the other side of the apartment complex?

I walked along the edge of the building, keeping my eyes peeled for a dusty black Kia Forte Koup. It probably needed a wash, maybe even a new paint job, but I wasn’t concerned enough to have that taken care of.

I walked around the end of the apartment complex and spotted my car nestled in between two huge SUVs at the end of the lot.

I crossed the parking lot over to my car, opened the door, and slid inside. I stuck the key into the engine and started the car up.

The nearest supermarket was a three-minute drive from here, but I had to account for traffic on the road. Still, it was going to be a quick grocery trip. I would be in and out quickly.

About five minutes later, I walked through the sliding doors of the supermarket and groaned. There were people. People everywhere. A lot more people than I thought there would be.

I sighed. This day just kept getting worse and worse. Hoseok was going to get it later.

Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I took my phone out and pulled up the grocery list I typed up yesterday for Hoseok, who should have been here instead of me.

_Chicken feet, ramen noodles, mochi ice cream, pet food…_

I quickly went about my business, locating each item I needed with ease. Just one more item and then I would be out of here.

 _Where would the toilet tissue be?_ I looked up at the aisle signs. The toilet tissue was in the next aisle.

I pushed my shopping cart into the next aisle and located the toilet tissue. I only needed a package of four rolls since I was living by myself.

I reached out for the toilet tissue, but at the exact same time someone reached out for the same package.

Our hands touched.

A memory that wasn’t mine flashed in my mind.

_A large, beefy man stood over me, glowering with clenched fists. “You filthy whore!”_

I shrunk back in an instant.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” A young woman with bleached-blonde hair gave me a little bow. “I didn’t see you there.”

I didn’t say anything.

She frowned. Is everything okay?”

I quickly grabbed the toilet tissue off the shelf, threw it into the cart, and turned around. “Sorry,” I said over my shoulder. I rushed out of the aisle as fast as I could.

It happened again.

I saw another memory.

My eyes ran over all the check-out lines and I made a beeline for one with the shortest line.

There were only three people ahead of me, but they didn’t have a lot of stuff in their carts, so I got to the front in just a few minutes.

“Hello there, sir!” The cashier was a young boy, a high schooler most likely, with big eyes and a light smattering of freckles across his cheeks. He was grinning brightly like he was a spokesperson for a toothpaste commercial. “Did you find everything okay?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I glanced towards the exit doors. I didn’t have time for small talk. I had to get back to the apartment as soon as possible. I was already out longer than what I wanted to be.

The cashier eagerly scanned and bagged each one of my items.

“Alright, your total is 53,743.68 won,” he said once he finished.

I fished my debit card out of the wallet in my back pocket and handed it to the boy with both hands. Our hands touched as he took it from me, and another memory flashed in my mind.

_Several boys wearing high school uniforms stood over me while I laid on the ground, repeatedly kicking me in my stomach, laughing._

My stomach burned with a sharp, intense pain. I winced and clutched my stomach.

The cashier frowned at me. “Is everything okay, sir?” He gently asked.

I took a deep breath before standing back up to my height.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

The cashier scanned my debit card, humming quietly to himself. Moments later, he held the card back out to me.

“Here you go, sir!”

I took my debit card back and stuffed it back into my wallet in a hurry. I pushed the shopping cart towards the exit.

“Have a nice day!” The cashier called from behind me. “Come back again!”

xxx

I slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door. I stared down at the steering wheel.

The bleached-blonde woman and the cashier boy’s memories flashed through my mind. I could almost still feel myself being kicked in my stomach.

I shook my head. Why was I thinking about this now? Like I didn’t have enough painful memories that weren’t even mine to deal with.

My phone beeped. I unlocked the screen and saw Hoseok had just texted me.

_H: So how’s the trip going?_

_Y: Done now. On my way back_

_H: Okay see you tonight!_

_Y: I’m still mad at you_

_H: I’m so sorry!!!! I swear I’ll make it to you!!_

I threw my phone onto the seat next to me and revved up the engine.

Maybe I was being too harsh on Hoseok. I mean it wasn’t his fault that he had to stay over at the dance studio. And Hoseok had been a big help to me ever since I moved into my apartment.

After I graduated from college—online school of course—with a degree in graphic design, I used some of the money my parents gave me as a graduation gift to purchase a nice apartment in a quiet neighborhood of Seoul. It was an apartment I would finance each month by working as a freelance graphic designer from home.

It was perfect. I would stay in my nice, fully-furnished, and spacious studio apartment on the top floor by myself (with Holly of course), I would buy my groceries from a virtual store and have them delivered to my front door, and I would have all the privacy in the world.

Then an energetic and chatty man known as Jung Hoseok, entered my life after he introduced himself to me after we became neighbors. The guy practically radiated happiness.

Look up the word “sunshine” in the dictionary and you would find a picture of Hoseok’s beaming face.

He was slightly annoying at times, but I was pretty grateful for him. I still couldn’t believe he was willing to do all my shopping for me and take care of any other errands for me that required leaving the apartment.

If I hadn’t stumbled over to his apartment in a drunken haze one night and told him everything about my deep, dark secret, I would probably be leaving my apartment a lot more than what I was comfortable with.

Anything I needed that required me to literally step outside of my comfort zone, Hoseok would do for me.

Except for today of course.

“Hey Holly,” I said as I walked back into my apartment.

Holly quickly ran over, yapping happily as I bent down to pick him up. I couldn’t help but smile as he licked at my face. Things weren’t so bad as long as I had Holly.

“I guess I should get back to work.” I set Holly back on the floor. I changed back into my clothes I had on previously and sat back on the couch. Holly hopped up on the couch next to me as I pulled my laptop back into my lap. He curled up next to me.

I reached my right hand out and lazily petted the soft fur on his back.

“Let’s see if I can’t finish the logo before dinner.”

xxx

While I was heating up some ramen in the microwave for dinner, someone knocked on my door.

I immediately knew who it was. Hoseok had a very distinct way of knocking on my door. He always knocked with both hands at a tempo that suggested he was knocking the beat to a song on the wood.

I frowned. Hoseok said he was going to be out all day, so why was he back so early?

I opened the door and Hoseok grinned at me. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I thought you said you were going to be at the dance studio all day,” I said.

“Oh yeah, about that…” Hoseok laughed nervously as scratched the back of his head. “Well after I finished teaching my last class for the day, I learned that Jihyun noona sprained her ankle, which meant that we couldn’t film any videos for our YouTube channel, so I got out early!”

I stared at him.

“But I had to stay over for a while because Miso needed some help from me in her class.”

I stared at him.

“But still, I could have done the grocery shopping for you!”

I stared at him harder, then started to close the door in his face.

“No, wait, don’t close the door on me!” Hoseok begged as he stuck a foot in the doorway to prevent me from shutting him out. “Please let me in! I brought lamb skewers!”

Lamb skewers? I paused, then slowly opened the door back up. Hoseok held a plastic bag up in front of himself.

“Your favorite,” he sang. He grinned widely at me, making his dimples pop and his aegyo-sal to become more prominent.

The mouthwatering scent of the lamb skewers wafted into my nose. I couldn’t resist. Lamb skewers were my greatest weakness.

And Hoseok knew it too.

I glared at him for a few seconds before I stepped aside. “Come on in,” I said in a monotone voice.

“Yay!” Hoseok bounced inside, singing a song to himself. I immediately regretted letting him inside. He was full of too much energy.

“Hi Holly!” Hoseok beamed down at Holly. Holly wagged his tail happily. He trotted next to Hoseok as he made his way to the kitchen.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked. He looked over at the ramen in the microwave. “You’re making ramen for dinner? I thought you were going to make something with the groceries you brought earlier.”

“Didn’t feel like it,” I responded. I went over to the microwave to check on my dinner.

“Did…something happen?” Hoseok tentatively asked.

I didn’t say anything.

“Oh no, you touched someone’s skin and saw something you didn’t want to, didn’t you?”

I gingerly removed the instant kimchi ramyeon from the microwave and placed it on the counter.

I sighed. “I saw a woman getting abused by who I assumed was her husband or a boyfriend. And I saw a boy getting bullied at school by some of his classmates. They were kicking him in his stomach. I felt everything.”

Hoseok looked remorseful. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t have made you go to the grocery store…”

“It’s fine, Hoseok,” I said. “I’m used to it.”

It was true in a way. At first, I had been downright horrified to see other people’s memories, but after a while I became desensitized in a way. Seeing into other people’s dark pasts still brought me pain, but I was already miserable, so it didn’t affect me much anymore.

“I wish there was something I could do to help you,” Hoseok murmured.

“I said it’s fine, Hoseok.” I pulled back the wrapper back on my ramyeon, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and dug into the noodles. “It’s just a cross I have to bear forever.” I had already accepted the fact that I was going to be a loner for the rest of my life.

“But it’s not fair!” Hoseok whined, pouting. “You’re 23 years old. You should be outside having the time of your life, not holing yourself up in your apartment like a hermit.

You’re only young once, you know.”

“I said it’s fine, Hoseok. You don’t have to keep worrying about me. I like being alone.” I stuffed some ramen into my mouth. “Besides, it’s not like I have a choice. I see a person’s darkest memories every time our skin touches. Excuse me for not wanting to be around people.”

“It’s still not fair though. Are you really okay with living the rest of your life like this?”

“Of course. Introverts like me like being alone. Extroverts like you aren’t satisfied unless you know the life histories of every person you come across.”

“Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet!” Hoseok smiled.

I gave him a look. “Whatever,” I said as I returned to my ramyeon.

It was silent for a few moments.

“Have you…ever tried breaking your curse?”

I used my chopsticks to play around with a bean sprout, staring down at it hard. “There’s no hope for me.”

“But—”

“There’s no hope for me.” I stared into Hoseok’s eyes. “I’ve given up. You should too.”

Hoseok bit his lip. He looked like he wanted to argue more, but to my relief, he dropped the subject with a sigh of defeat. “Are we going to eat those lamb skewers?”

I frowned. “We?”

“Yeah, we. Are we going to eat those lamb skewers?”

“Funny, I don’t remember offering you one.”

“Aw, come on, can’t you give me one?”

“No,” I said firmly. “If you wanted lamb skewers, you should have brought some separately for yourself.”

“Fine,” Hoseok sighed. “I’m going to head back to my place to eat dinner. Unless you want to invite me to stay over.” He looked at me hopefully. I stared back at him. “Or I’ll just eat dinner at my place. See you later!”

Hoseok breezed out of my apartment.

I sighed in relief. “Finally, he’s gone. Now I can finally get some quiet time.”

Several minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

My head quickly turned towards the sound. It wasn’t Hoseok knocking. I could tell. But no one ever knocked on my door, unless it was a food delivery worker bringing me chicken or black bean sauce noodles or something. Except I hadn’t ordered anything today.

Who was it?

I hesitated. Maybe if I ignored whoever was on the other side of the door, they would go away.

They knocked again.

I stared at the door.

They knocked again seconds later.

I rolled my eyes. “For crying out loud, can’t they just take a hint and go away?” I muttered angrily.

They knocked again.

I stood up and stormed over to the door.

“What do you want?” I asked gruffly as I swung the door open. I didn’t have time for this.

Standing on the other side of the doorway was a young woman with dark brown glossy locks that fell a few inches past her shoulders. She beamed a radiant smile that revealed perfect rows of shiny white teeth.  
  
“Hi!” She said in a loud, cheerful voice.

Oh great, I thought to myself. A female version of Hoseok…

“My name is Kang Seulgi. I’m your next-door neighbor!”

It’s Hoseok all over again...

“I just moved into the apartment on your left, so I wanted to come over and introduce myself to you. I would’ve come over earlier but moving all my stuff in took longer than expected. So here I am!” She giggled.

I just stared at her. What was with this girl?

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Min Yoongi,” I answered slightly reluctantly. I really didn’t feel like doing introductions now.

“How old are you?”

“I turned 23 earlier this month.”

“Oh really? Then happy belated birthday!”

“Thanks.”

“Would it be alright for me to call you oppa? I turned 22 in February.”

“Sure, why not?” I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t care what this girl called me. I just wanted her to leave already.

“Perfect!” She clapped her hands together. “I hope we can be good friends from now on!”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“We’re neighbors and we’re around the same age, so I’m sure we’ll get along great!”

_Oh no…Not this again._

“Listen, I appreciate your offer,” I said slowly, “but I’m not really looking for any new friends at the moment.” Or ever. “But I’m sure your neighbor on the other side of your apartment would love to be your friend.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve already talked to Jaehyun oppa. He even invited me out for coffee later this week!” She smiled.

“That’s great,” I said flatly. I wasn’t inviting her out for coffee anytime soon.

“Well I’m going to go back to my apartment now, but I’ll stop by again soon!”

“Wait, you don’t need to—”

“Or you can stop by my apartment!”

“But I don’t want to—”

“It was nice meeting you, Yoongi oppa. Have a lovely night! Bye!” She gave a little wave and bounced away.

“But I…” I trailed off as I heard the door to her apartment open and close.

I blinked twice before I heaved a sigh.

“Why does this always happen to me?”

  
xxx


	2. Never A Dull Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi just wants to enjoy a quiet evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note: I’m also publishing this story on asianfanfics.com, so if you do happen to see it over there, don’t think that someone plagiarized my story. The account name known as ShikshinPrincess is me. Just thought I let you guys know to prevent any confusion.

**Chapter 2: Never A Dull Moment**

“Yeah!” Hoseok yelled at the TV screen. “Nice shot!”

I glared at him from my super comfortable leather armchair. I was supposed to be enjoying a nice, peaceful evening, but apparently that was impossible to do when Jung Hoseok was your neighbor.

“Remind me again why you’re here?” I asked.

“So we can watch the basketball game together,” he replied, his eyes still trained on the TV.

“Don’t you have friends you can do with this?”

“Of course I do.” He looked away from the TV to flash me a grin. “But I think you could use some excitement in your life.”

I snorted.

“Hey, how come you’re not watching the game?”

“Not in the mood,” I said brusquely. My good mood was ruined when Hoseok came over. He sure had a knack for turning up when I didn’t want him here.

“Well what are you in the mood for?”

“Being alone.”

“But you’re always alone.”

“Didn’t we discuss this yesterday?”

Hoseok pouted and returned his attention to the game. “You’re no fun.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“Someone’s at the door,” Hoseok announced.

I sighed and walked over to place Holly in his bed. “Why do people insist on disturbing my alone time?” I muttered.

“Yeah, good one!” Hoseok yelled at the screen. I sent him a glare before I walked over to the front door.

I opened the door. “Hello, how…”

I trailed off in shock when I saw that girl who knocked on my door yesterday standing there.

She smiled at me. “Hi Yoongi oppa! What’s up?”

I blinked once.

I was kind of hoping she wasn’t serious about her offer to be friends and that she wasn’t going to come back over.

Clearly I was wrong.

_What was her name again? Sulli?_

“You still remember me right? Kang Seulgi? Your next-door neighbor?”

I sighed. “Yes, I remember you,” I said flatly.

“Awesome!” She smiled even more, if that was possible.

“Listen, I’m kind of busy right now, so if you could—”

“Seulgi?”

 _Seulgi_? I turned around to see Hoseok staring at her.

She gasped happily. “Oh my gosh, Hoseok! I didn’t know you lived here!”

I looked back and forth between Seulgi and Hoseok. “Wait, you two know each other?”

“Yeah, Seulgi’s one of my students at the dance studio,” Hoseok said. “Speaking of which, where have you been for the past few weeks?”

Seulgi smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I’ve been kind of busy with school. But I’m hoping to come back soon once things settle down.”

“Awesome!” Hoseok grinned. “Hey, do you wanna come in and watch the game with us?”

“ _What_?” I barked. What the heck was he doing? This wasn’t even his apartment!

“Sure!” And before I could stop her, Seulgi crossed the threshold into my apartment.

It had been invaded. My sanctuary had been invaded. My precious sanctuary had been breached by a stranger.

And it was all Hoseok’s fault.

Seulgi took her shoes off and placed them by the door before she took a seat next to Hoseok on the couch.

I slowly shut the front door and glared at the back of Hoseok’s head. “Hoseok?” I hissed. Can I talk you in the kitchen?”

“Sure thing.” He stood up. “Be right back!” He told Seulgi before he walked into the kitchen. I followed him.

He turned around to face me. “What did you want to talk about?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked quietly through clenched teeth.

“What do you mean? Hoseok asked innocently.

“Why did you invite her inside? This isn’t your apartment! You can’t invite people here like you own the place.”

“Don’t be like that. Seulgi’s a really fun girl. You’ll like her.”

“I don’t want to like her. I want her gone.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What part of ‘I like being alone’ did you not understand? Are you hard of hearing or something?”

Hoseok opened his mouth to say something, then looked towards the living room. The commentator on the TV was going crazy.

“Seulgi, what’s going on?” Hoseok asked.

“Come quick, there’s a fight on the court!”

Hoseok gasped. “For real?”

I opened my mouth. “Hoseok, I—

Hoseok rushed out the kitchen and back to the living room.

I stood there in silence for a few moments before I sighed. It seemed like I had done a lot of sighing lately.

And it was all thanks to Hoseok and Seulgi. Who were my neighbors.

_I really do have the worst luck, don’t I?_

I walked back to the living room and picked up my phone from my armchair. “I’m going to my room.” Neither Hoseok or Seulgi looked my way, too engrossed in what was going on in the game.

I quietly entered my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Holly was sleeping at the foot of my bed. I laid down on my bed, careful not to disturb Holly. I plugged the wireless headphones my brother had brought for me for Christmas last year into my phone and hit the shuffle button. The opening instrumental for T.I.’s “What You Know” blared through my headphones.  

I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

“Woo!” Hoseok and Seulgi cheered loudly from the living room.

I turned the volume up on my phone a few notches in an attempt to drown out the noise. Like it mattered much. Hoseok was so loud he could wake the dead. It seemed Seulgi wasn’t any quieter.

What were the chances that my new next-door neighbor just happened to be a student in one of Hoseok’s dance classes? And that they knew each other well enough for Hoseok to invite her inside my apartment?

_Out of all the apartments for Seulgi to choose she just had to choose the one right next to me._

I shook my head back and forth. _Just forget about it, Yoongi_ , I told myself. _Don’t worry about that right now._

I wasn’t sure how long I laid on my bed listening to music, but eventually I felt the urge to use the bathroom, so I paused my music and rose off the bed.

I crept to the bathroom and quickly peed. As I exited the bathroom, I looked over to see what was going in the living room.

Seulgi and Hoseok were still seated on the couch but it appeared that the basketball game had gone off already. They were talking to one another, no longer looking at the TV.

Now was my chance to get rid of Seulgi.

I walked into the living room. “Is the game over?”

“Yeah, it just went off a few minutes ago,” Hoseok replied. “Anyang KGC won.”

“Uh-huh.” I looked over at Seulgi. “Well since the game is over now, and it’s getting late, Seulgi probably wants to go back to her apartment now, so—

Seulgi gasped. “Hey, why don’t we go on a convenience store run?”

I blinked in confusion. “What?”

Hoseok gasped. “Oh yeah, we should! I like the way you think, Seulgi!”

They both grinned at each other.

I blinked again. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Hoseok looked at me. “And of course _you_ have to come along with us.”

I snorted. “That’s funny. Real funny.”

“Hoseok’s right,” Seulgi said. “The more, the merrier.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I am not leaving this apartment to go on a convenience store run—”

“Perfect! Let’s go!” Hoseok exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air.

“But I didn’t say I was—”

“Let’s go, guys!” Hoseok walked towards the front door.

“Right behind you!” Seulgi said.

I silently watched as Hoseok and Seulgi put their shoes on and Hoseok opened the door for Seulgi. He followed her into the hallway.

Holly trotted into the room. He sat in front of me and tilted his head at me.

“They’re kidding right?” I asked him.

Hoseok’s head popped around the door frame of the front door. “You coming?”

I sighed deeply. “Why is this my life?”

xxx

 

"Here are your spicy rice cakes, Seulgi," Hoseok said as he set a steaming cup of spicy rice cakes in front of her.

She smiled at him. "Thanks!"

Hoseok set a cup of spicy rice cakes in front of me. "And here are yours, Hyung!"

I stared at the thin wisps of steam rising out of the container for a few seconds, then glared at Hoseok.

"What? What's the matter?" he asked.

"Is there a particular reason why you dragged me out here?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You know how much I hate going out in public." I slouched back in the plastic chair. It creaked quietly under my weight. "I think I'm starting to get a headache."

"You're just saying that cause you don't want to be out here."

I scowled at him.

"You guys want some soju to drink?"

"Sorry, but I can't," Seulgi said. "I have classes tomorrow and I don't want to have a  hangover."

"Oh right, I forgot about that. Aw, I wanted us to play some drinking games. I guess we'll have to do that next time."

My eyes flashed towards Hoseok. What did he mean "next time?" This was a one-time thing. This was not happening again.

"I'll just take some Banana Sparkling fruit juice," Seulgi said.

"No problem! Yoongi?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can leave."

"Alright. Be right back!"

Hoseok turned around and walked back inside the convenience store, humming to himself.

The sound of laughter drifted into my ears. I looked to the right at the table across from where Seulgi and I were sitting.

There was a small group of four of five college students playing a drinking game. One of the guys thumped another guy on the forehead. I could hear the thwacking noise from here. The guy that got hit dramatically fell out of his chair and the entire table broke out into raucous laughter.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Oppa, you should eat your food before it gets cold."

I looked over to see Seulgi pulling back the wrapper on her cup of rice cakesi.

I sat up and pulled back the wrapper on my own cup. A spicy aroma filled my nose. I picked up my chopsticks.

"Hey oppa, what do you do for a living?" Seulgi asked.

I took a bite out of a rice cake. "I'm a freelance graphic designer. I work from home."

"Wow, really? What kind of stuff do you do?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It depends on the job. Digital ads, social media content, banners, PowerPoint presentations, blog visuals, landing pages, you get the picture."

"Ah, I see," Seulgi said as she nodded her head.

It was silent for a moment.

"So how do you go about finding jobs? Do you just search the Internet looking for jobs? Do you have an online portfolio with contact information where companies can contact you? What are your hours like? Do you work a typical 9-5 shift or do you prefer to work a more flexible schedule?"

"Uhh...I..."

I detected movement from out of my peripheral vision and I turned my head a little to see Hoseok walking out of the convenience store.

I breathed a little sigh of relief. "Oh look, Hoseok's back."

Hoseok placed a yellow can in front of Seulgi. "Here you go, Seulgi! One Banana Sparkling fruit juice!"

"Thanks!" Seulgi popped and pulled back the little tab on the can and took a sip.

I stared at Hoseok as he opened a can of soju.

"Hoseok, don't you have class tomorrow? Shouldn't you wait to drink when you, oh I don't know, _don't_ have class to teach the next day?"

Hoseok took a huge swig of his drink. He wiped his mouth and exhaled in satisfaction. "Relax. I won't drink too much."

"You better not. Because I'm telling you right now, I'm not dragging you back to your apartment if you pass out drunk. I'm just going to leave you here."

Hoseok pouted. "You're mean."

"Don't worry, Hoseok, I'll make sure you get home safely if you get drunk!" Seulgi smiled at him.

Hoseok smiled back at her. "Thanks Seulgi! You're a good friend."

I rolled my eyes and continued to eat my food.

"I think I might be able to come back to class starting next week," Seulgi said. "You should come too, Yoongi oppa!"

Something went down the wrong tube and I nearly choked on my food. I coughed wildly.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Seulgi frantically asked.

"I'm fine," I wheezed. I coughed once. "No need for concern."

I coughed a couple more times before I regained my composure.

"I'm sorry, but did you just suggest I attend one of Hoseok's dance classes?"

"Yeah, Hoseok's classes are really fun and dancing is a great way to stay active. And Hoseok's a really great dancer. I learned a lot from him!"

Hoseok beamed at being praised. "Oh, stop it you."

"You should really join!"

"You’re wasting your time, Seulgi," Hoseok said. "I've been trying to get him to attend a class, any class, at the dance studio since we became neighbors. It's not going to happen. Besides, he doesn't leave his apartment."

"Really?" Seulgi stared at me. "You really don't leave your apartment?"

"No, I don't," I said curtly.

"Ahh," Seulgi said as she nodded her head. "Then how come you agreed to come here?"

I gave her a look. "I didn’t agree to anything! I was forced to come here by him!" I pointed a finger at Hoseok.

Hoseok looked confused. "What did I do?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't like going outside?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you it's not good to stay cooped up inside all day! You need to get outside! Breathe the fresh open air!" Hoseok spread his arms wide and looked up towards the night sky.

I shook my head at him and hurriedly stuffed the rest of the Tteokbokki into my mouth. "There! I'm done." I stood up. "Now if you would excuse me, I'm going home. I've been out longer than I liked and I—"

Hoseok clapped his hands together. "Hey Seulgi, can you guess what I'm in the mood for?"

I stared at him. "Can I not finish a sentence around you?"

Seulgi leaned towards him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I frowned. "Is anyone listening to me?"

"Karaoke!" Hoseok and Seulgi exclaimed at the same time, causing me to jump in surprise.

"I haven't gone out for karaoke in forever," Seulgi said.

"Then I think it’s time we change that," Hoseok said.

He looked at me.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Hoseok grinned wickedly. "And Yoongi Hyung probably never went in his entire life."

I glared at him. I was willing to put up with a lot of stuff. I put up with the impromptu grocery trip. I even put up with this convenience store run. But I was not going to put up with karaoke.

"I know what you're thinking, Hoseok," I said. "But the answer is—"

"Seulgi, try and finish your Tteokbokki as quickly as you can," Hoseok said, looking at her. "Hyung's impatient to get to the karaoke room ASAP."

I gaped at him. "No, I'm not! I'm impatient to get home!"

"Right, he's impatient to get to the karaoke room because he wants to go home before it gets too dark. He doesn't want you staying out too late."

"What?!" I spluttered. "But—I—What are...Are you listening to _anything_ I'm saying?!"

"Aww, that's so nice of you, oppa!" Seulgi smiled at me. "I'll finish my food quickly, okay?" And she continued eating.

I glared at Hoseok.

He grinned at me.

 _It’s just like you said_ , Yoongi, I told myself. _You said one of these days you were going to wring Hoseok by his neck, and it looks like that day might come sooner than later._

xxx

Once Hoseok and Seulgi finished their food and drinks, the three of us walked to down the street towards the nearest coin karaoke.

Hoseok and Seulgi talked to each other as they walked side-by-side while I sauntered a few steps behind them, not desiring to participate in their conversation at all.

Instead I focused my attention on what was happening around me. This was the time when the streets of Seoul came alive for the nightlife scene. The sidewalk was filled with throngs of people and I had to do my best to make sure I didn’t accidentally bump into anyone and see something I was most likely better off not seeing.

“There it is!” Hoseok suddenly announced.

I turned my head to see Hoseok pointing at a neon flashing sign marked with the words “TJ Karaoke” on it.

“Is it too late to go home now?” I asked no one in particular.

Seulgi giggled. “Oppa, you’re so funny.”

“I wasn’t joking,” I muttered.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Hoseok said and he walked inside.

 _This is going to be a very long night_.

Hoseok rented a room for 15,000 won and I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. I was half-hoping he would only rent out a room for half an hour, but I should have known a half-hour karaoke session wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Hoseok. But at least he hadn’t rented a room for two hours. There was no way I could stand that.

Because it was just the three of us, Hoseok rented us a small but comfortable room, complete with a large TV screen, a small table in front of the TV, couches all around the room, and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

“So who’s going first?” Seulgi asked.

“You can go first,” Hoseok said as he plopped down a couch and picked up a menu. “We'll go after you.”

“Okay!” Seulgi grinned brightly as she picked up a songbook.

I looked at Hoseok. “’We'll’? I’m not singing.”

“Of course you have to sing!” Hoseok said. “We’re in a karaoke room. Everyone has to sing. Those are the rules.”

I scoffed. “There’s no rule that says everyone in the karaoke room has to sing.”

“Whatever you say, hyung.” He turned his attention to the menu. “You guys want anything? I’m getting some soju.”

“Didn’t you just drink?” I asked.

“I told you to relax, hyung. I won’t get drunk!” He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes.

“Ooh!” Seulgi squealed. “I haven’t heard this song in forever! I’m going to do this one.”

She picked up the remote and used the controls to select a song.

Seconds later, Twice’s “TT” started playing over the loudspeakers. Bright disco lights flashed around the room.

Seulgi snapped her fingers to the beat, then struck a pose.

“I’m in two minds

In an awkward situation

I just stare and say ba-ba-ba-baby

Everyday I only imagine without asking

I talk casually and say your name baby

But we don’t even know each other…"

I watched as Seulgi danced along with the song. Her singing wasn’t half-bad, but her dancing was…interesting to say the least. I had no idea what most of the choreo for “TT” was supposed to look like, except for the famous “TT” pose in the chorus, but was the dance supposed to have so many flailing arm motions?

“You’re doing great, Seulgi!” Hoseok cheered. I couldn’t tell if he was talking about her singing or her dancing.

“Are you going to reserve a song, hyung?” Hoseok asked me.

“I already told you I’m not singing.”

Hoseok pouted. “Once again, you’re no fun.”

He stood up and picked up a tambourine before he joined Seulgi on the “stage.”

“I’m going crazy in all this mess

Why do I feel hungry?

I eat all day and am still hungry.”

Seulgi sang and danced as Hoseok bounced around next to her, hitting the tambourine.

I shook my head slowly at them. I couldn’t believe these people were my neighbors.

My phone rang and I fished my phone out of my pocket to check the caller ID. My brother was calling.

Junki was my older brother by a few years. He was the Director of Marketing at my parents’ company and a borderline workaholic who thought it was his duty as the oldest son in the family to ensure that when he took over the reins of the company from our father, he was well-prepared. Because he was such a workaholic, he only called me every once in a while to check on me.

I stood up. “I have to take this!” I said as I held up my phone. I had to speak loudly so my voice could be heard over the music.

Hoseok nodded his head. “Okay!”

I hurriedly left the room and walked down a hallway before I answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey little bro! What’s up?”

“I’m being tortured.”

“What?”

I sighed. “I’m at a karaoke room with two of my neighbors against my will and they want me to sing. I don’t sing.”

Junki laughed. “Don’t be like that, Yoongi. Karaoke rooms are fun! Just last week some of my co-workers and I went out to karaoke following a company dinner. We were having so much fun I think we sung for over two hours.”

I made a face. “That sounds terrible.”

“I’m telling you it was a blast.”

“Whatever.” I looked towards the karaoke room Hoseok rented out. “Hey, do you think you could stay on the phone with me for a while? I don’t want to go back.”

“How long is the room being rented out for?”

“An hour?”

“An hour?” Junki exclaimed. “I can’t stay on the phone with you for an hour. I only have ten minutes to spare. I have paperwork to get back to.” I heard papers shuffling in the background.

“Then I guess I have no choice. I’m going to tell Hoseok and Seulgi you need to discuss some business matters with me and I have to go back to my apartment ASAP.”

“Seriously, Yoongi? Just sing one song and…Wait, did you just say Seulgi?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Is Seulgi a girl?”

“Yeah, why?”

Junki gasped. “Is she cute?”

“What the—Why are you asking me that?”

“Ohhhhh, look at you, Yoongi!” I could almost see him grinning. “Going out to a karaoke room with a cute girl. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“I didn’t say she was cute.”

“Whatever you say…”

I groaned. “I didn’t say she was cute!”

“Okay, little bro! I’m going to let you go now so you can get back to your cute neighbor! Bye!”

Junki hung up the phone.

I sighed deeply and ran a hand through my hair.

“Why must the people in my life drive me crazy?”

I waited in the hallway for a few minutes before I walked back to the karaoke room and opened the door.

Hoseok was singing “Cherry Blossom Ending.” Seulgi was sitting on the edge of the table, slowly waving her hands back and forth.

Seulgi glanced my way as I entered the room.

“Yoongi oppa! You’re back!” She grinned.

“Yeah, sorry, but I have to go.”

Hoseok suddenly stopped singing and turned to face me. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, something came up. My brother needs me for something, business…company stuff…Anyways, I have to get home and discuss some stuff with him.”

Hoseok narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Crap, how did he figure out? “No, I’m not lying to you. I really have to go, okay? You guys should finish your karaoke session without me.”

Hoseok sighed. “Okay. Tell your brother I said hi!”

“I will.”

Seulgi waved at me. “Bye oppa! I’ll see you later!”

“Yeah…later…” I quickly exited the room and closed the door.

I exhaled in relief. “Nicely done, Yoongi. Nicely done.”

xxx

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I groaned and rolled over in my bed.

_Is it morning already?_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I groaned again and reached an arm out to turn my alarm off. I yawned and opened my eyes, blinking the grogginess out of my eyes.  

I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and looked at the screen to check my notifications. I frowned when I saw I received messages from unknown number.

_Who the heck would be messaging me?_

I unlocked my phone and pulled up the messages.

 _Hey oppa, it’s me, Seulgi_ _😊_

I froze.

_I realized I never got your number so Hoseok gave it to me following our karaoke session last night._

_So you can save this number in your phone as mine!_

_I hope you have a good day!_ _😊_ _😊_ _😊_

I stared at my phone screen until I slowly released my phone so it fell on my chest. I stared up at the ceiling.

“This just keeps getting better and better…”

 

 xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. So Much For Peace And Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi tries to avoid Seulgi, but that's hard to do when she's his neighbor. And she has his number. And she texts him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m truly sorry for not updating the story in two weeks. I was sick with a really bad cold and I just felt miserable and couldn’t focus on working on the chapter ☹

**Chapter 3: So Much For Peace And Quiet**

After lazing around in bed for half an hour, dreading having to remove myself from the warm comfort of my bed and pondering on the coincidence that Hoseok just happened to be friends with the girl who just moved into the apartment next to me, I figured it was time to for me to get up and get the day started.

Holly was still fast asleep in his dog bed in the living room. I walked into the kitchen to fix myself a cup of coffee. I wasn’t much of a breakfast person. I usually just skipped breakfast all together and drunk coffee to hold me over until lunch.

I leaned against the kitchen counter as I sipped on a nice, steaming cup of black coffee. I took my phone out and checked the messages Seulgi sent me again.

_Hey oppa, it’s me, Seulgi_ _😊_

_I realized I never got your number so Hoseok gave it to me following our karaoke session last night._

_So you can save this number in your phone as mine!_

_I hope you have a good day!_ _😊_   _😊_   _😊_

Seulgi sent me the messages at 7:58 a.m. It was 9:40 a.m. now. How long could I ignore her texts until I was obligated to respond to them? I would have to respond to them sooner or later.

I groaned. _This is all Hoseok’s fault._ But then again it was only a matter of time before Seulgi got my number. We were neighbors. It was clear that she was persistent about this “let’s be friends!” thing.

I ran a hand through my hair. Seriously, why was this my life? Why couldn’t I be left alone in peace?

I set my cup down on the living room table and went into my bedroom to retrieve my adult coloring book and colored pencils.

The coloring book was a Christmas gift from Hoseok, who said it would be a great stress reliever whenever I got “down in the dumps” about my curse. So far, it worked. Most of the time at least.

I knew I probably had some emails to sift through and job requests to look at on my portfolio and in the Facebook groups I was a member of, but I had time to look at those later.

I returned to the living room and made myself comfortable on the couch before opening the coloring book to the page I had last left on, a picture of an owl. Its large eyes stared out at me from the canvas. So far, I had only colored in its eyes—yellow—and about a fourth of its feathers.

I picked out a sky-blue colored pencil. Just as I pressed the tip of the colored pencil to one of the owl’s feathers on the paper, my phone vibrated from within my pants pocket.

I froze.

_Oh no…Please don’t tell me it’s her again. I was trying to color so I could forget about her!_

I slowly pulled my phone out and hesitantly checked the screen.

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a text from a random number.

_hi this Hyun the man ur mom talk to about her friend nxt door about repair work._

_Y: Sorry, but I think you have the wrong number. I don’t know any Hyun._

Hyun responded seconds later.

_H: my bad sorry about that_

_Y: Don’t worry about it_

I breathed another sigh of relief. _For a second, I thought—_

My phone vibrated again.

I had received another message.

From her.

_S: Hey, what’s up?_

I stared at my phone. “You have got to be kidding me…She’s texting me already?”

I heaved a deep sigh. Great, now I had to respond. I couldn’t ignore her texts forever, even though I desperately wanted to.

_What should I say?_

Well, the best way to show someone you weren’t interested in having a conversation was to give extremely brief answers to their questions and make no attempt to keep the conversation going so they would give up in talking to you.

_Y: Nothing_

_S: Oh goodie you responded! I wasn’t sure what time you get up in the morning, but I was half afraid I had put the wrong number in my phone and texted the wrong person. But I see now that wasn’t the case ^___^ so what are you doing?_

If I said I was coloring, she was definitely going to ask about it.

_Y: Just drinking coffee._

_S: Are you working on something for your job?_

If I said yes, would she stop texting me?

_Y: Looking over job requests right now_

_S: So the requests come to you? You don’t have to search for gigs yourself?_

_Y: More or less_

_S: Do you stay pretty busy or do you prefer a more relaxed schedule? What’s your work day like?_

I groaned. How long was she going to keep asking me questions? I thought by now I would have lost her attention.

But no matter how hard I tried, Seulgi kept asking me questions or commenting on something I said, effectively keeping the conversation up for ten more painfully slow minutes.

_S: Oh I have to go now, I’m going to be late for class. I’ll see you later!_

I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

_Y: Yeah sure bye_

I detected movement from the right side of my eye and I looked up from my phone to see Holly trotting over with his dog bowl hanging from his mouth.

He dropped his dog bowl in front of me, then sat down and looked up at me. He yapped once as if to say, _Feed me._

I smiled a little. “Alright, alright. I’ll give you your breakfast now.”

I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of dog food from the cabinet beneath the sink before I walked over to where Holly had dropped his food bowl. Holly wagged his tail happily as I poured his breakfast into the bowl. No sooner had I finished pouring did he start eating.

“I’ll be right back with your water,” I said as I returned to the kitchen.

I put the dog food away and quickly refilled Holly’s water bowl. He immediately lapped at the water, his tongue darting in and out of his mouth.

I returned to my previous position on the couch. “Now, where was I?”

I looked down at my coloring book. “Oh right. I have to finish coloring in the feathers.” I was not starting on work until I at least made some progress on the owl. Seulgi threw me slightly off schedule with our texting conversation. Granted, I had thrown my own self off schedule earlier by continuing to lie down in bed well after my alarm went off, but I couldn’t help it. I was too moody about the fact that Seulgi had my number to focus on anything else.

 _Good thing she had a class to get to_ , I thought to myself as I picked up the sky-blue colored pencil again.

She was a college student, as I figured. And if she was a college student, then she probably attended K University. It was the closest university around.

But why did she rent an apartment here for? The apartments here weren’t expensive by any stretch; Hoseok could afford one on a dancer’s salary. But they weren’t cheap either. And wouldn’t most college students rent out cheaper apartments if they weren’t staying in dorms or in share houses or some other kind of housing?

_Maybe she comes from a well-off family like me and…_

I hit myself on the forehead. “Stop thinking about her, Yoongi,” I muttered to myself. “Just focus on the artwork.”

xxx

“Well I think that’s enough for today,” I said as I saved my progress on a brochure I was working on. I checked the time on my laptop screen before I closed the lid. 6:06 p.m. An hour off my usual quitting time of 5 p.m., but I did get started on work late, so it was probably to be expected.

I stretched my arms out wide. “Now I can get started on dinn—”

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A piercing sound cut through the air, over and over again. I jumped in surprise and my eyes automatically flashed over towards the front door. The fire alarm was blaring outside in the hallway.

Holly was up on all fours facing the front door, barking cutely.

I slipped on a pair of sneakers by the front door and scooped Holly into my arms. He continued barking.

“I know, I know,” I said. “I don’t like going outside for fire alarms any more than you do. Let’s just hope we’re not waiting outside long, okay?”

Holly barked once.

I left my apartment and winced. The fire alarm sounded a lot louder in the hallway than it did from inside my apartment. I almost couldn’t hear myself think from how exceedingly loud it was.

I joined the throng of apartment residents heading for the stairs, making sure not to get too close to him. I was wearing a sweater that covered my arms, but I eschewed physical contact so much that I didn’t want to take any risks.

Everyone filed out through the lobby, through the front doors, and out into the parking lot directly facing the apartment complex. I moved into the fringe of the scattered group of residents, keeping my distance from them. I noticed a few people taking out their phones.

_Crap. I forgot my phone._

How could I forget something so important?

“You idiot!”

I looked over to see an extremely short and curly-haired middle-aged woman exiting the apartment while hitting a tall middle-aged man who I assumed to be her husband on his back. She was so short she had to reach up to hit him.

“How could you forget to watch the pie?! I take a nap for twenty minutes and you ruin everything! It’s all your fault we’re out here!”

Her husband did his best to fend off her bony fists, scowling down at her. “Oh, would you give it a rest already, woman?”

 _So_ he _was the one who set off the fire alarm. Well as long as everything gets settled quickly, then—_

“Yoongi oppa?”

I froze.

No.

No.

NO.

I had to be imagining that soft melodic voice that seemed to be coming from behind me.

“Yoongi oppa!”

I closed my eyes. “This isn’t happening. _Please_ tell me this isn’t happening.”

“I thought that was you!” The voice sounded louder, like the speaker was right next to me.

I slowly opened my eyes and slowly turned my head to the right to see Seulgi grinning at me.

I blinked once.

_Thanks a lot, ahjussi, for burning the pie. If I was inside my apartment, I wouldn’t have to deal with this right now._

“What’s everyone doing outside?” Seulgi asked.

I sighed. “Fire alarm. One of the residents burned a pie and set off the fire alarm.”

“Oh, is that so?” Seulgi took notice of Holly and she gasped, bouncing on her toes. “Oh my gosh! Is that a dog? I didn’t know you had a dog! Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Boy. His name is Holly.”

“Can I touch him?”

I sighed. “If you must.”

She squealed. I frowned at her. She was that happy to pet a dog?

She stuck out a hand towards Holly and allowed him to sniff her hand. He sniffed it a for a second or two, then licked her hand.

She reached a hand up and gently patted him on his head. Holly wagged his tail back and forth as Seulgi petted him, panting in excitement.

She giggled. “Aww, he’s so cute! How old is he?”

“Six months.”

“He’s a toy poodle, right?”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Good choice then! Toy poodles are great for people living in apartments. And they don’t shed a lot so they don’t require much when it comes to grooming. Plus they’re easy to train. Does he know any tricks?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “You sure know a lot about toy poodles.”

Seulgi smiled. “I used to volunteer at an animal shelter. I learned a lot about dogs while I was there, but I don’t have time to volunteer there anymore due to my schedule.”

Her phone rang. She reached into her tote hanging off her shoulder and fished out her phone. She checked the screen.

“Oh, I have to take this! Excuse me for a second.”

“No problem.”

Seulgi answered the call. “Hi Mom! Yeah, I’m doing fine…”

She turned around and started to walk away.

I looked around. Pretty much everyone was on their phone by now.

I sighed. “Man I wish I had my phone right now.”

I looked at Seulgi’s back. She was close enough where I could still hear her talking on the phone, but far enough where I couldn’t fully hear what she was saying. I could pick up a few words here and there, but nowhere enough to understand what the conversation was about.

She slowly turned around on the spot until she was facing me, still on the phone, looking off into the distance. And that’s when I noticed what she was wearing for the first time. She was wearing a pair of black dress pants with a crisp white buttoned-down shirt and a black blazer.

It didn’t look like the kind of outfit a college student would wear to class. She was dressed like she worked in an office. Even business majors didn’t dress up that much. Maybe there was a special event on campus today that she needed to be dressed up for?

_Eh, not my problem to worry about. I’m not going to ask her either. The less I interact with her, the better._

The fire department showed up minutes later and took care of everything. Seulgi remained on the phone with her mom throughout the entire process, which I was supremely grateful for. Her enthusiasm was almost overwhelming, even in small doses. It took me weeks to get used to Hoseok. How long was it going to take before I got used to her?

As soon as all the apartment residents were allowed to return our apartments, I hurried forward as quickly as I could, eager to get back inside my apartment already.

I was almost to the front doors.

“Yoongi oppa, wait up!”

I came to a stop and cursed beneath my breath. I was so close.

Seulgi appeared at my side. “I guess you’re pretty eager to get back inside, huh?”

“You have no idea,” I muttered.

“Well then, let’s go together! We’re heading in the same direction, anyways.”

“Yeah, I’m…” _Quick, think of something!_ “—taking the stairs. You probably don’t want to come with since we live on the 7th floor and—”

“No problem! I could use some exercise!”

Well that didn’t go as planned.

“So did you consider my offer?” Seulgi asked as I started up the staircase.

I frowned. “What offer?”

“For you to come join Hoseok’s dance class, silly!”

I gave her a look over my shoulder. “Why in the _world_ would I consider something like that?”

“Don’t be like that, oppa. You should give it a try!”

I whirled around to face Seulgi. I caught her by the surprise with the sudden motion, causing her to nearly trip on the next step.

I stared into her eyes. “Remember when I said I don’t like leaving my apartment? I _wasn’t_ kidding.”

I turned back around and continued up the stairs.

“But you would love it!”

I rolled my eyes and looked down at Holly. He stared up at me. “What am I going to do with this girl?” I muttered to him.

Seulgi kept up with her join-Hoseok’s-dance-class pitch all the way to the third floor while I stomped up the stairs, regretting my decision to not take the elevator. After that, she gave up and moved onto another topic of conversation.

Me.

“So what do you like to do in your spare time, oppa?”

“Watch TV. Read. Draw. Whatever.”

“Oh really? What kind of shows do you watch?”

“Whatever’s on TV.”

“What kind of books do you read?”

“Mystery. Sometimes horror.”

“Really? That’s cool! I’m more of a sci-fi kind of girl. Especially stuff dealing with aliens. Oh! You should check out…”

I tuned Seulgi out as she went on and on about the different sci-fi books she read. It was actually a good thing though because it meant I didn’t have to fully participate in the conversation. The occasional “uh-huh” here and there was all that was really needed.

After what felt like forever, Seulgi and I finally reached the seventh floor. Seulgi had moved on from her favorite sci-fi books and was rambling about sci-fi movies.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen it or not, but I really liked _Akira_. I find cyberpunk to be really fascinating. Wouldn’t you say the same?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, sure.” I opened the door for Seulgi and she walked through the doorway.

She gasped, suddenly clapping her hands together. “Oh! I know! We could have a movie marathon!”

“Absolutely not,” I said quickly.

Seulgi continued like she hadn’t heard me. “We could invite Hoseok and eat a bunch of snacks and have a good time!”

I sighed inwardly. This girl was proving to be a major thorn in my side. “When I said I don’t like leaving my apartment, I also meant I don’t really like company over either.”

“Ahhh…” Seulgi nodded her head. “I get it.”

I glanced at her in surprise. “You do?”

“Yeah!” She snapped her fingers. “You’re afraid I’ll suggest rom-coms to watch, aren’t you?”

I narrowed my eyes at her and sped up my pace so I could leave her behind. “I don’t think you get it at all.”

“How about I text you some movie suggestions later? Then we can work on setting up a date?”

“How about you don’t?”

Seulgi laughed. “You’re so funny, oppa!”

I didn’t say anything as I hurried to my apartment.

“Well I have to go now,” I said as I keyed in the passcode. “Neither Holly or I have eaten dinner yet and I have laundry I need to do and other household chores I have to take care of.”

It was a lie. I didn’t have laundry to do or any household chores to take care of. I was just trying to think of an excuse for Seulgi to not bother me for the rest of the night.

“That’s okay! I have to make dinner myself. And I have stuff I need to take care of as well. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah. Good night.” I quickly opened the door.

“Good night!” Seulgi said happily before I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. 

_She wasn’t being serious about that movie marathon, was she?_

Wait a minute, who was I kidding? Of course she was serious about that marathon. And I had no good excuse to get out of it.

Seulgi was beginning to become a real problem.

I held up Holly in the air and stared into his eyes. He blinked innocently at me.

“And _you_.” I narrowed my eyes at him slightly. “How dare you act so affectionately with her. You weren’t that affectionate with me when I adopted you.”

Holly brightened in an instant and wagged his tail back and forth rapidly.

“It’s a little late for that, you traitor.”

With the fire alarm behind me, I busied myself with feeding Holly and preparing dinner for myself. After dinner, I watched TV in the living room until bedtime.

Seulgi didn’t text me at all at throughout the night and I woke up the next morning pleased to find she hadn’t sent me any texts early in the morning. It looked like I was going to get a Seulgi-free morning today.

 _It’s about time_ , I thought to myself.

While I was taking a break from work and playing around with Holly, someone knocked on my door.

I knew it wasn’t Hoseok.

I knew it wasn’t a delivery guy.

I set Holly down on the couch and got up to answer the door, fervently hoping it wasn’t who I thought it was.

I opened the door.

Seulgi smiled brightly at me from the other side of the doorway.

I sighed inwardly and crossed my arms over my chest.

So much for a Seulgi-free morning.

“Hi Yoongi oppa!” Seulgi said with a little wave.

“Hello,” I said brusquely. “Can I help you?” What was she over here for?

“Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“No, why?”

“Perfect! We can go out for lunch together!”

“What?” I asked sharply. _Someone please tell me I just misheard what she just said and she didn’t actually say what I think she just said._

“I said we can go out for lunch together!”

I stared at Seulgi, speechless.

“I was going to text you but then I remembered we’re neighbors, so I could just come over and ask you in person. Isn’t that great?” Seulgi grinned.

I continued to stare at her wordlessly. Was this reality? Was this really happening to me right now?

“So what are you in the mood for? Chinese?”

I groaned. “No.”

“Japanese?”

“No.”

“Italian?”

“No.”

“Thai?”

“No.”

“Indian?”

“No.”

“French?”

“No.”

“Turkish?”

“No.”

“Mexican?”

“No.”

“Moroccan?”

“No.”

“Middle Eastern?”

“No.”

“American?”

“No.”

“Oh, I see,” Seulgi said as she nodded her head. “You want to stay domestic. Korean BBQ then?”

“No.”

Seulgi frowned and tilted her head to the side, looking extremely confused. “Then…what are you in the mood for?”

“Nothing that requires me leaving this apartment or eating with other people.”

“Oh!” Seulgi suddenly exclaimed, startling me. “There’s a Japanese restaurant just across the street. We could walk there.”

Was this girl hard of hearing or something? “Didn’t I just say I didn’t want anything that required me leaving this apartment or eating with other people?”

“Hoseok told me the food was really good. He went there once with his fellow instructors from the dance academy.”

“Are you deaf? I said I wasn’t leaving.”

“Don’t you worry, oppa! Lunch is on me!” Seulgi giggled.

“That wasn’t what I was concerned about—”

“We should get a move on though. I have a meeting in an hour and a half.”

“I thought I said—”

“Let’s go!” Seulgi walked off, humming to herself.

I stared at the spot she was just standing in seconds ago.

_Could I just close the door and pretend the last five minutes hadn’t just happened?_

“I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby!” Seulgi called down the hallway.

I ran a hand through my hair and groaned the loudest groan I probably did in my entire life.

“I need coffee.”

xxx


	4. Go With The Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While he and Seulgi are eating lunch together, Yoongi discovers a detail about her life that makes his jaw drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be uploaded yesterday, but I kind of got behind schedule. Trying to update a story on a weekly schedule is more challenging than I thought it would be. But I’m working on trying to write every day and not wait until the end of the week to type up everything and stress myself out.
> 
> But enough about my problems! On to the story!

**Chapter 4: Go With The Flow**

As soon as I dragged my feet into the lobby, Seulgi walked over to me.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

“Sure,” I said. _Let’s just get this over with._

“Excellent! Let’s go!” Seulgi practically bounced towards the front doors. With no other choice, I followed her outside.

“Since you told me you don’t really like leaving your apartment, I figured it would be best if I can pick out a restaurant close by,” she said.

“When you said this restaurant was just across the street, did you really mean that?” I asked.

“Of course!” Seulgi grinned. “It’s right over there!” She pointed across the street at a small, modest restaurant with bamboo blinds and a table and two chairs out front.

She was right. It was really was just across the street.

I squinted. Even from here I could see that the inside of the restaurant was dark. It didn’t look there weren’t any lights on.

“Uh, are you sure this place is open now? It looks like it’s closed.”

“Huh, you may be right. Let me check on my phone.”

Seulgi took her phone out and tapped on her keyboard.

“Aww,” she said several seconds later. Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. “It looks like they’re closed on Wednesdays.”

 _Thank you._ “Then I guess our lunch plans are off. I’ll just head back up and—”

“Good thing there’s a cold noodle restaurant just around the corner!”

My shoulders deflated. “Seriously?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Well we don’t have time to waste, so let’s go!”

I groaned. “Let’s just get this over with…” I muttered beneath my breath.

“Great!” Seulgi giggled. She walked off. I rolled my eyes and joined her at her side.

I crossed my arms across my chest. “Why did you ask me to join you for lunch? Don’t you have other friends you can eat lunch with?”

“Maybe…” Seulgi twirled a piece of hair around her finger. “But we’re neighbors now, and neighbors should be friendly with one another, right? It’s okay for neighbors to be go out for lunch together, right?”

I turned my head to look at her. “I should probably remind you that I don’t like leaving my apartment unless it’s absolutely necessary, so don’t expect me to go out for lunch frequently. In fact, I would prefer if this is the first and last time we go out for lunch together to this restaurant.”

“No worries! It’s always good to switch things up anyways.”

“Wait, that’s not what I—”

“Don’t worry, oppa.” Seulgi smiled at me. “I understand what you’re saying.”

 _Do you?_ I wanted to ask.

There was clearly no point in arguing with this girl. I could say one thing and she could misinterpret my words completely. Was this how all our conversations were going to go? The lack of communication on her end was unbelievable.

Seulgi and I walked up to the crosswalk and I pressed the push-to-walk button. Thankfully, we were the only ones waiting to cross the street. Having to stand at crosswalks surrounded by people always freaked me out.

“Do you do social media, oppa?” Seulgi asked.

“Nope.”

“Nothing?”

“No Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter, no nothing.”

“Ahh…I guess you’re not really into that kind of stuff, are you?”

“No, and I never will be.” The crossing light turned green and we walked across the street. “Why do you ask?”

Seulgi shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to know so I could follow you.”

It wasn’t enough for her to have my phone number? She had to follow me on social media too? Why was this girl so interested in me? It didn’t make any sense.

“So how has your day been so far?” she asked.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Fine, I guess. Not much to talk about it…How has your day been?”

Seulgi talked a lot, too much in my opinion, but at least when she talked I didn’t have to talk about myself, which I hated.

“Oh, it was great! I decided to…”

I stopped listening after that. She had taken the bait. I looked up at the puffy white clouds in the sky, largely tuning her out. I picked up a few words here and there, like “computers”, “algorithms”, “databases”, but I really had no idea what she was talking about.

“Can you believe it?” Seulgi asked.

“Huh?” I looked over at her. “Oh yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

“I think so too.” She giggled.

_She sure does a lot of giggling._

Seulgi and I rounded the street corner and continued walking for a bit.

“Here we are!” Seulgi said as we walked up to the cold noodle restaurant. It was hidden away in the middle of an alley. I glanced inside. There were quite a few people inside, mostly businessmen dressed in suits. Nearly every table was full.

“Great, just great,” I muttered.

“Did you say something, oppa?”

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

Seulgi and I walked inside. People chatted quietly with one another while they ate. The air was laced with the intoxicating aroma of noodles. My mouth watered.

_Wait, I’m not supposed to be enjoying this._

Seulgi walked over to a table in the middle of the restaurant. I would have preferred a seat in the far corner of the room, but that was just me.

“What are you ordering?” She asked as she took a seat.

I looked over at the large menu hanging up at the front of the restaurant. There were four dishes on the menu—buckwheat noodles, buckwheat noodles with red hot pepper paste, buckwheat noodles with vegetables and red hot pepper paste, and udon noodles in a hot pot.

“I think I’ll just have the udon noodles,” I said.

“Okay.” Seulgi turned her head and raised her arm into the air. “Excuse me!” She called out to a waitress passing by. “We’re ready to order!”

The thirty-something waitress hurried over to our table. “What would you like to order?”

“I’ll take an order of buckwheat noodles,” Seulgi said.

“And I’ll take the udon noodles,” I said.

“Yes.” The waitress bowed to us and walked off.

My phone beeped. I took it out to see I got a text from my mom.

_M: How’s my wonderful youngest son doing? You haven’t contacted me since last week_ _☹_

_Y: Sorry mom. I’ve been busy with work and stuff. I’ll call you later, okay?_

What I didn’t say what that I was busy trying to avoid my next-door neighbor and was considering moving apartments once my lease was up.

“Here, oppa!”

I looked up to see Seulgi holding out a spoon and a pair of chopsticks to me. She had already placed her utensils on a napkin and had slid a napkin in front of me.

“Oh. Thanks.”

I carefully, slowly, took the utensils from her without touching her skin. I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” Seulgi asked. “You look a little tense.”

“I’m fine.” I set the utensils down at my side.

I could still feel Seulgi staring at me. Maybe I had been too obvious when I was accepting the utensils from her. Who told her to hand them to me anyways? I could have gotten them from out of the box myself.

She gasped. “Is it because you think my hands aren’t clean? I brought hand sanitizer!”

“That’s not what I—”

“I’ll get it out now!”

Seulgi dug into her purse, pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and applied some to her hands before vigorously working into her skin.

“There!” She said when she was finished. “Do you need some, oppa?”

“I’m good.” I didn’t want to risk getting too close to her again. This was why I didn’t want to go out to lunch with her. She was making things difficult.

I stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Okay!”

I walked to the bathroom at the end of a narrow hallway in the back of the restaurant. I threw open the door. There was no one at the sinks or at the urinals. I looked underneath each stall. The bathroom was empty apart from me.

I started pacing the length of the bathroom.

_The way things are going, it’s only a matter of time before I touch her skin and I see something I would probably be better off not seeing. Question is, what am I going to see when we touch? Maybe…Maybe I can pretend I got an urgent call so I can have an excuse to leave the restaurant?_

I shook my head. It wouldn’t matter if I did that. She would just invite me out to lunch for another day. She was my neighbor after all. And according to her, it was fine for neighbors to go out for lunch together.

_Can I just hide in here until the food arrives?_

Nah, it would be too suspicious if I stayed in here too long. I didn’t want Seulgi to think I was doing something else in there. Not that I cared what she thought about me.

I loitered around for a few more minutes, then exited the bathroom and returned to my seat. Tsuyu soup stock, shallots, and radish had been brought to the table while I was in the bathroom. Seulgi was sampling one of the shallots.

She set her chopsticks back down on the table as I slid into my seat. She leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “So I thought about it…”

“Thought about what?”

“The movie marathon, of course!”

 _Again_? “Oh, we’re still doing that?” I did my best to hide my annoyance.

“Now we can’t do the marathon this weekend because I’ll be too busy, but I can clear up my schedule for next week. Would that work fine for you?”

How was I going to get out of this one? “I…don’t know. I have to…check my schedule first.” My schedule for next weekend was as clear as it always was.

“That’s okay. Just let me know ASAP, alright?”

“Sure…”

“Now since you expressed your interest in sci-fi movies—" _when did I say that?_ —”I thought we could watch some sci-fi movies for our marathon. But I don’t know if Hoseok is really into sci-fi stuff like that, and I want to make sure all three of us can fully enjoy whatever we end up watching. You know what kind of movie genres Hoseok is into?”

“Uh…” What movie genres was Hoseok into? I felt like he had mentioned this before. He was into melodramatic TV dramas, so wouldn’t that also apply to movies?

“I think he’s into melodramas.”

“Melodramas?” She gasped. “I love melodramas too! You know which one’s my favorite?”

“One can only imagine…”

“ _A Werewolf Boy_.” She sighed. Her eyes looked sorrowful. “It was so beautiful and sad at the same time. I really wanted Sun-yi and Chul-soo to end up together.”

“It wouldn’t have worked out,” I found myself saying before I could stop myself. “Chul-soo obviously doesn’t age. He would still be stuck with the same face and body while Sun-yi grew older and eventually died. It wouldn’t have mattered if she came back sooner because a real romantic relationship wouldn’t have ended well for neither of them. She’s a human, he’s a werewolf—the relationship was doomed before it even started.”

I froze. _Wait, did I just say all that?_

I looked up at Seulgi, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

“Wow, Yoongi oppa, I didn’t know you liked _A Werewolf Boy_ too.”

“I just watched it once. I wouldn’t really say it’s my favorite movie.”

“What is your favorite movie then?” Seulgi cupped her face in her hands and stared expectantly at me.

This girl sure had a way of turning the conversation back to me.

“ _The Man from Nowhere_.”

“Oh yeah, I heard that one was really good. I’ve never seen it before. Ooh, should we add it to the list?” Her eyes twinkled.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Sure, whatever.” _I really have to find a way out of this marathon._

“Excellent!”

I looked up as the waitress walked over to the table with our food. She set the dishes on the table and bowed to us before walking off.

“Would you say action movies are your favorite?” Seulgi asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” I poured the shallots into the bowl of soup stock. “I’m not really into melodramas that much. No offense.”

My life was already depressing enough as it was living with other people’s darkest memories. The last thing I needed was becoming even more depressed by watching the sad lives of fictional characters being played out on a screen.

“That’s okay. We all have our preferences. I’ll make sure to balance out the movie list, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said absent-mindedly. I was mixing mustard into the shallots and soup stock mix. Using my chopsticks, I dipped some of the noodles briefly into the sauce, then stuffed the noodles in my mouth. My mouth exploded with a sweet yet salty flavor. The food here was some of the best I had eaten in a long time.

_Maybe coming here wasn’t such a bad idea._

“Wow, these noodles are delicious!” Seulgi exclaimed.

_Would be nice if she wasn’t here though..._

“Oh, that reminds me!” Seulgi exclaimed. “Did you see the trailer for _The Forgotten Ones_? With Song Joong-ki?”

“Yeah, I saw it last week.”

“Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”

I raised an eyebrow at Seulgi. “You want to see that?”

“Yeah, why?” She shoveled some noodles into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk.

“I…just didn’t think you would be in that kind of movie. It's going to be pretty violent. Not for the faint-hearted." 

“I’ll see anything Song Joong-ki is in.” She sighed dreamily. “Isn’t he dreamy?”

I resisted the urge to make a face. “Sure, whatever floats your boat.”

“Ooh, we should go together when it comes out!”

Something went down the wrong pipe and I coughed wildly.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Seulgi sounded very concerned.

I continued coughing, thumping my chest.

Seulgi hopped out of her seat in a flash. “Hang on, I’ll get you some water.”

I coughed. “I’m fine,” I wheezed, but Seulgi was already heading for the water cooler to fetch me a glass of water.

She practically ran to the water cooler and returned with a glass of water seconds later. “Here, drink this.” She held the cup out to me.

Just when I was about to take the cup from Seulgi, I panicked, afraid of touching her fingers, and my hand jerked in an attempt to move away from her. My fingers bumped against the cup, causing the contents to tip over onto her shirt. The cup clattered to the floor noisily. Nearby customers glanced in my direction.

“I’m—”I coughed—“I’m sorry—”I coughed—“about your shirt.”

Seulgi bent down and picked the cup off the floor. “You don’t have to apologize! It’s just water. It’ll dry up.”

I thumped my chest a few times. Whatever went down the wrong pipe went down the right pipe this time. I cleared my throat just to be sure.

“I’ll get you some more water.”

“No!” I said a little too loudly, causing Seulgi to jump. I cleared my throat. “I mean, I’m good now. I don’t need any water.”

“It won’t be a problem. I can get you some more—”

“No, no. it’s fine. I’m fine. Really. Something just went down the wrong pipe, that’s all. You can sit down now.”

“Alright.” Seulgi returned to her seat and picked up her chopsticks. “So, about the movie—”

“Professor?”

 _Professor_?

I looked to the left to see a tall guy wearing a black letterman jacket staring at Seulgi several feet away from our table.

Seulgi gasped. “Wonwoo! What are you doing here?”

_Is “professor” her nickname or something?_

Wonwoo strolled to our table. “I’m meeting a friend here for lunch.” His sharp eyes met mine. It looked like he was glaring at me slightly. “Is this your boyfriend?”

I nearly choked on my noodles. Fortunately, no one noticed.

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that,” Seulgi said. “He’s my next-door neighbor. He’s your hyung, so be nice to him.”

“Oh.” He was still glaring at me.

_Does he have a crush on Seulgi?_

He gave me a small, respectful bow. “Hello, my name is Jeon Wonwoo, nice to meet you.”

“Min Yoongi, nice to meet you too,” I said.

“Wonwoo is one of my students in my Data mining class,” Seulgi said.

I frowned at her. “Students? Don’t you mean classmates?”

“No, he’s one of my students.”

“You mean you tutor him?”

Seulgi giggled. “No, silly. He’s my student. I teach him in class.”

I blinked. “I’m confused.”

Wonwoo looked at Seulgi. “He doesn’t know?”

I looked between the both of them. “Doesn’t know what?”

“Of course he knows!” Seulgi said.

“What do I know?” I asked.

“Well he’s acting like he doesn’t know,” Wonwoo said. “Maybe you should refresh his memory.”

“Refresh my memory about what?” I asked. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?”

Seulgi stroked her chin as she eyed me. “Didn’t you hear me talking about my data mining class earlier?”

 _So that was what she was talking about earlier._ “I…must have missed that part.”

“Hoseok didn’t tell you what I do for a living?”

“For a living? Aren’t you a college student?”

Seulgi giggled. “No, I’m a college professor!”

I stared at her, blinking once. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’m a college professor. At K University.”

I continued staring at her.

“I…thought you said you were 22.”

“I am.”

I stared at her.

“See, Professor?” Wonwoo said. “I told you he didn’t know.”

“Ohhh, I get what you’re saying,” Seulgi said. “You’re probably finding it hard to believe that I could be so young and be a professor, aren’t you? But it’s true.”

She pulled her wallet out of her purse and took out a card. She held it out to me. “See?”

I took the card from her and looked at it. It was a business card. At the top the words _K University_ were printed in bold blue ink.

Beneath that was a picture of a smiling Seulgi. I looked at the words beneath the photo.

_Kang Seulgi PhD._

My jaw dropped. “P…PhD?!”

“That’s right!” Seulgi said.

“But…” I kept reading.

_Assistant Professor_

_Department of Computer Science and Engineering._

_College of Informatics_

The rest of the business card was the university’s address and Seulgi’s contact information.

I stared at the words _Assistant Professor_.

“You’re…really a professor?”

“Yeah, I’ve been teaching for almost three years now.”

I quickly looked up at her. “Three years? Then that means you’ve been teaching since you were…”

Seulgi nodded. “19.”

I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it.

My next-door neighbor who’s only a year younger than me was a college professor.

Bu the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

It explained how she was able to afford an apartment in the same apartment complex as me.

It explained why she was dressed up so nicely last night.

It explained why she was so interested in sci-fi.

She was a computer science professor.

“Hey Wonwoo!”

Wonwoo turned around to look at a guy calling out to him across the restaurant.

He turned back around to face Seulgi.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow, Professor.”

“Okay! Make sure you do the reading for tomorrow’s class.”

Wonwoo gave me a brief glance before he walked off.

“So, I guess you want to know how I became a professor so young,” Seulgi said,

“That would be nice.”

“Well continue eating your food then, I’ll tell you while we eat.”

I picked my chopsticks back up and Seulgi did the same before we continued eating.

“Okay, so I started high school when I was 9.”

My jaw dropped again. “ _9_?”

“And I graduated when I was 11—”

“ _11_?”

“And since I aced the CSAT—"

“You _aced_ the CSAT?”

“And since I aced the CSAT, I got into Seoul National University.”

Seoul National University? The best school in the country? One of the three SKY schools that parents fought like madmen to get their children into? She got in when she was only _11 years old_?

“I graduated from Seoul National when I was 13 and then I traveled to America to complete my master’s at Stanford, which I did when she was 15.”

“ _15_?”

“Let’s see, what was next?” She muttered. She snapped her fingers. “Oh right, I completed another master’s in mathematics at the University of Chicago before I went to MIT to complete my PhD, which I did when was 19.”

I tried wrapping my mind around everything I just heard. It was unbelievable. “So the same age you became a legal adult, you had a bachelor’s, two master’s and a PhD degree under your belt.”

“That’s right!”

“And then you decided to become a professor?”

“Yep! I was offered teaching positions at the California Institute of Technology and at K University, but I chose K University because I wanted to go back to South Korea. And I’ve been teaching there ever since!” She smiled brightly.

“I don’t believe it…”

“Yeah, I remember when I first started teaching, a lot of people thought I was a student.” She giggled. “I remember how shocked how everyone in my very first class was when they discovered I wasn’t one of their classmates but their professor.”

“Does it get weird teaching people who are around the same age as you?”

“Sort of. It felt kind of weird during my first two years when I had students who were older than me. But I think I’ve gotten used to it. Even if I still have students who are older than me.”

“Yeah, I…” I trailed off. What was I doing? I was supposed to be limiting our conversations to a minimum, and yet here I was, talking with her about her life’s story. My curiosity as to how she became a college professor so early in life had gotten the better of me.

“Yeah what?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

“Oh, do you want to hear about the research I’m doing in computational origami?”

“I have no idea what that is, but sure, go ahead.”

“Okay, so you know that origami is the Japanese art of paper folding, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, computational origami is a type of computer program for modeling the ways in which various materials, such as paper, can be folded. It’s been used to create complex paper objects that were once thought to be beyond the medium’s capabilities, such as insects. It’s also been applied for more practical problems, like how to fold a roadmap, an airbag, or even a computer processor. Researchers, like myself, believe that by folding processors more efficiently, the maximum amount of information can be fit into the smallest possible area.”

“Uh-huh…” I nodded my head.

“Now, what you have to understand is that computational origami has its roots in geometry, when Japanese physicists and mathematicians in the mid-20th century started applying the principles of geometry to origami. They devised axioms about how folding can create three-dimensional objects from a flat material. Humaiki Huzita created a string of six increasingly intricate axioms that…”

I checked out after that, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to listen. It was because I couldn’t follow anything Seulgi was saying. What was an axiom? Who was Humaiki Huzita? I felt like if I asked, I was just going to be confused even more.

Seulgi talked and talked about algorithms, tessellations, about the research some guy named Erik Demaine wrote about in a milestone paper on computational origami when he was a PhD student at the University of Waterloo, and other stuff I would never in my life be able to comprehend.

_She really is a genius._

“My research group and I are working on perfecting an algorithm for curved paper structures, since Demaine’s findings only apply to straight folds in paper. Curved paper structures are a lot more complex than straight folds in paper because…”

And she talked. And she talked. And she talked. Even after both of us were done eating.

“It’s all very fascinating, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh yeah, it’s real fascinating.” Fascinating, sure. Easy to understand? Not at all.

“Did you get all that?”

“More or less.”

“You should check out Origamizer later. It’s an origami-generating design software that lets you interact with origami forms while modifying the crease pattern of the model. And you should check out Demaine’s work on his website. He shows off the origami and glass work he does. He developed a really cool glass-blowing algorithm. I’ll text you the links later.”

‘Yeah, you do that…”

“And I’ll text you the details about the movie marathon later too.”

I sighed. “Sure, why not?”

Seulgi looked at her phone. She gasped. “Oh my gosh! I’m going to be late for the meeting! I have to go!”

“Yeah, I do to.” _I miss my apartment._

Seulgi and I got up and she paid for lunch, just like she promised. We walked back to the apartment complex and I walked with Seulgi to her car, a red SUV.

“Thanks for having lunch with me, oppa!” She climbed into the front seat.

“Sure.” I fidgeted. “The noodles were delicious.”

Seulgi grinned. “They were, weren’t they?” She shut the car door and looked at me with a strange smile on her face.

“What?” I asked.

“You know, oppa, I have you all figured out.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You may act gruff on the outside, but you’re really just a teddy bear on the inside.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I am _not_ a teddy bear.”

“Whatever you say,” she sang.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not good with people. You should stay away if you know what’s good for you.”

“Okay, oppa,” she said with a wink.

This girl was really testing my patience.

She started the car up. “I’ll talk you to later! Bye!”

I stood and watched her until she backed her car out of the parking space and drove away, then I turned around and headed towards the apartment building’s front doors.

_“You may act gruff on the outside, but you’re really a teddy bear on the inside.”_

“Yeah, well I have a reason to be gruff,” I muttered to myself. “Not that you’ll ever figure out what it is.”

xxx

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't lose you in all that computational origami mumbo-jumbo lol. I'm no expert in that kind of stuff so I had to do a lot of research on it. But seriously though, you should check it out. It's quite interesting.


	5. Unwanted Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi just wants to be left alone in his apartment. Too bad his neighbors never listen to him.

**Chapter 5: Unwanted Visitors**

_“You know, oppa, I have you all figured out…You may act gruff on the outside, but you’re really a teddy bear on the inside.”_

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Seulgi told me before we parted ways after lunch earlier today.

My mind kept returning to our conversation even after I returned to work after lunch, even while I was cooking dinner, even while I was eating dinner.

No one had ever told me that had me all figured out just three days after our initial meeting.

And no one had ever called me a teddy bear.

It was a little unnerving how Seulgi thought she knew me.

_Is it because she’s a genius? She wouldn’t ever figure out the truth unless I told her, right?_

I shook my head. Of course, she wouldn’t. Hoseok had no idea until I told him in drunken stupor. I just had to keep my distance. Not that that would be an easy feat.

There was a pounding on the front door at a fast tempo.

It was Hoseok.

Holly raised his head and looked at me from his dog bed as if to say _are you going to get that?_

I stood up. “I got it.”

I walked to the front door and opened it mid-knocking.

Hoseok stopped knocking on the door. “What’s up! Did you know what song I was beating?”

I stared at him wordlessly.

Hoseok knocked on the door while singing. “Knock knock knock knock knock on my door! Knock knock knock knock knock on my door!”

I continued staring at him wordlessly.

He knocked again while singing. “Baby, knock knock knock knock knock on my door, knock knock knock knock knock—”

“Will you come in already?” I snapped.

“Honestly,” Hoseok said as he walked inside, “that was an easy one. You should have gotten it. Don’t you know how popular that song was?”

“I don’t even know what song that was.”

Hoseok gasped loudly and clutched his chest like an old man who was having a heart attack.

“You…You don’t know that song?! That song was _everywhere_! Have you been living under a rock?!”

“No, but I would love to.”

“That was Knock Knock by Twice! Tell me you’ve at least heard of it!”

“I thought I told you I don’t listen to K-Pop.” I shut the front door closed.

“I mean I know you don’t go out much and you’re basically a hermit, but I thought you would at least know that much.” He gasped quietly and grabbed by the shoulders and stared into my eyes intensely. “Tell me you at least know TT.”

I violently shook his hands off me, scowling. “Get off. What did I tell you about touching me?” I turned around and stalked back to the couch.

“Oh, right. I forgot about your no-touching rule.”

By this time, Holly had left his dog bed and trotted over to Hoseok. He barked once.

“Holly!” Hoseok bent down and picked him up. “You’ve been a good boy? Yeah, I know you have.”

Hoseok wasted no time in sprawling himself out on the couch next to me, keeping Holly in his lap. I glared at him slightly. He was invading my personal space. And kidnapping my dog.

He gently stroked Holly’s head. “So, what’s up with you? Anything interesting happen?”

I was trying to focus on the TV. _Inception_ was on, a movie I liked but had trouble fully understanding. “Should anything interesting have happened?”

“Seulgi didn’t text you?”

I turned my head to glare at him.

“What?” He said innocently.

“Why did you give her my number?”

Hoseok shrugged. “She was going to get your number eventually, I just sped up the process.”

It was a good thing Holly was in his lap, because I might have done something I wouldn’t regret later.

“So did she text you?”

I rested my head on my elbow on the couch’s armrest. “Unfortunately.”

“And?”

“And…she texted me. What do you want me to say?”

“Aw,” Hoseok pouted. “I thought you made some progress in your relationship.”

I frowned at him. “What relationship?”

“You and Seulgi. Together.”

He wasn’t being serious, was he? Was he being serious?

“I’m sorry, are you trying to imply there’s something going on between me and Seulgi? Because there isn’t.”

Hoseok winked at me. “Not yet at least.”

“You know I can throw you out of this apartment anytime I want to, right?”

“Alright, alright.”

Hoseok didn’t say anything after that, so I went back to watching the movie.

“So…what did you guys talk about?”

I exhaled sharply through the nose and slowly turned my head to glower at Hoseok.

“ _Hoseok_. I am trying to watch a movie here.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Never said I wanted to be.”

My phone beeped.

“Is that her?” Hoseok asked.

I glanced at my screen.

It was her.

I sighed. “Yeah, it’s her.”

“Ooh, what does she want?”

I gave Hoseok a look before I unlocked my phone and started to read her message.

_S: Hey, what’s up?_ _😊_

I groaned. “Why does she insist on keeping tabs on me?”

“Cause she’s your friend/soon-to-be girlfriend?”

I gave Hoseok another look. “She is not my friend and she will never be my girlfriend. Besides, even if she were my girlfriend, which I repeat she will _never_ be, how would I date a girl I can’t physically touch?”

Hoseok waved me off. “Eh, you guys can work something out.”

I shook my head at him. Hosoek sure had a way of downplaying my curse and acting like it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience in my life.

“You going to text her back?” he asked.

“No,” I said firmly. I don’t want to talk to her. It was already bad enough that I had to eat lunch with her, now she—”

“ _You ate lunch with Seulgi?”_ Hoseok nearly fell off the couch. Holly looked up at him. “When? Where? Tell me everything!”

“Why did I say that?” I muttered through clenched teeth. I wanted to hit myself in the head. “Why did I say that…?”

“I want details!”

“We just went to a cold noodle restaurant around the corner earlier today, it was nothing.”

“She got you to leave your apartment?”

“It was against my will. I abhorred every minute.”

That was somewhat of a lie. The noodles were unbelievably delicious. I could have eaten another bowl. But I wasn’t about to tell Hoseok that.

“Ohhhh.” Hoseok gave me a sly look, covering his mouth with his hand. “ _Ohhhh_!”

“Will you stop that?” I snapped. “It was just one lunch. It’s not like we went out on a date or anything.”

“ _Ohhhhhhhhh_!”

I glared at him.

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

“Thank you.”

Hoseok didn’t say anything after that, to my surprise, so I went back to watching TV in peace.

“So when’s your next date?” Hoseok whispered.

I reached over and took Holly into my arms. “You can’t hold Holly anymore for the rest of the night.”

“Aw, man!”

xxx

“I’ve been awaiting your call!” My mom exclaimed loudly through the phone, causing me to wince slightly. “How’s my Little Meow Meow doing?”

I made a face. “Mom, can you please stop calling me that? I’m 23 years old for crying out loud. I’ve outgrown that name a long time ago. It wasn’t even a good nickname back then…”

“I can’t help it! You used to be so cute back then. Remember when you wore that koala costume and you—"

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.” I resisted a shudder. I had almost forgotten about that embarrassing incident.

“You don’t act cute like that anymore.” I could picture my mom’s pouting face right now.

“Yeah, well things change, Mom. You know that.”

She knew exactly what changes I was referring to.

It was silent on the other end.

I frowned. “Mom?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry! I was lost in thought for a moment.” She laughed. “Anyways, I have wonderful news! Your uncle Kwanghyun is getting married!”

I was speechless for a moment. “Again?” Uncle Kwanghyun, my mom’s older brother, got married and divorced five times already. The longest time any of his relationships lasted was three months. The shortest was two days. “Isn’t he getting a little old for this?”

“Now, now, Yoongi, be nice to your uncle,” my mom said in a slightly stern voice.

“Mom, this is getting out of hand. He’s pushing 60 now. Let me guess, his fiancé is probably like 25.”

“Actually, she’s 28.”

“Yeah, that’s much better…” I muttered.

“The wedding’s on—”

“I’m not going.”

“Oh, it’s just one wedding! It won’t be that long.”

“What’s the point in going to a wedding when Uncle Kwanghyun and whoever he’s marrying are going to be divorced in just a few weeks?”

“You don’t know that!”

“I know this marriage isn’t going to last more than three months. Look at his track record.”

“This time could be different.”

“I doubt it.”

“Just think about, it okay?”

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

I had no intention of going to that wedding. There would be a bunch of people there, a lot of people who I wouldn’t be related to, and crowds of people just made me uncomfortable.

Not that my mom could ever understand that.

“Excellent! Now—”

Loud banging sounded on my bedroom door, startling me.

“Hyung!” Hoseok shouted. “Hyung, are you awake?”

“Who’s that?” My mom asked.

I rolled my eyes. “For goodness sake…”

Hoseok continued banging on the door until I threw it open.

“What?” I barked. “What is…”

I trailed off when I saw Seulgi standing next to Hoseok.

Hoseok held up a bag. The smell of fresh chicken wafted into my nose. “I brought the chicken!”

Seulgi held up another bag. I heard bottles clinking from inside. “And I brought the beer!”

I stared in disbelief, speechless.

“Yoongi?” My mom asked. “Yoongi, who is that?”

“…I’m going to have to call you back, Mom.” I promptly ended the call.

Hoseok gasped. “Oh, you were on the phone. I had no idea.”

 _Keep your cool, Yoongi, keep your cool._ “Hoseok, when you said you had to leave to run a quick errand, I don’t remember you saying you were going to be bringing back chicken.”

“Yeah, but—”

“And Seulgi, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember inviting you inside my apartment.”

“Hoseok invited me inside.”

I glared at Hoseok.

“What?” He asked innocently. Like he didn’t just break my most sacred cardinal rule for my apartment for the second time.

“And you invited her here because…?”

“Can’t you see the chicken and beer? We’re having a get-together, here in your apartment!”

_“We’re having a get-together, here in your apartment!”_

_“We’re having a get-together, here in your apartment!”_

_“We’re having a get-together, here in your apartment!”_

“I think a part of me just died inside.”

xxx

“Hey there, Holly!” Seulgi picked up Holly into her arms. “Did you miss me? Did you miss me?”

Holly wagged his little tail back and forth and licked at Seulgi’s face, causing her to giggle.

I glared at him. He was still being a traitor.

“Is there a particular reason why you need me to join you guys?” I asked. “You can eat chicken and drink beer without me being here. In fact, I would prefer if you take your stuff and move elsewhere, like to your own apartments.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Hyung,” Hoseok said as he sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table. “You’re a vital member of our power trio.”

“I’m sorry, our what?”

“Our power trio!” When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “Three is a common number in ensembles. Like Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, or Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, or Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, or the Powerpuff Girls, or—”

“I don’t remember agreeing to be a part of this.”

“Okay, so I brought lemon pepper, mandarin orange, and honey butter,” Hoseok said as he took boxes of chicken out of the bag he was carrying and placed them on the table.

“And you’re ignoring me,” I muttered.

Seulgi took a seat on Hoseok’s left, keeping Holly in her lap. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Take a seat, oppa, before the food gets cold.” She dug into her bag and pulled out the beer.

“Do I have to?” I asked no one in particular.

“Yes!” Hoseok and Seulgi chimed at the exact same time.

I groaned deeply before I trudged over to the coffee table and took a seat on the opposite side of Seulgi.

“Can you pass me a beer, please?” Some soju would have been nice right now. Then I could get wasted and pretend none of this was happening right now. I couldn’t get drunk off beer.

“Sure!” Seulgi slid me a can, which I was hoping she would do. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened earlier at lunch. She slid Hoseok a can right after.

I opened the beer can and raised it to my lips.

“Hoseok, did I tell you Yoongi and I are planning a movie marathon?”

I pulled the can away from my lips and stared at Seulgi. “I’m sorry, ‘we’?”

“Ooh, a movie marathon! That sounds awesome!” Hoseok grinned.

Seulgi giggled. “I know, isn’t it great? We were thinking about having it next Saturday. Would that work for you?”

“Works for me.”

“Great!”

Seulgi picked up a piece of chicken and bit into it while Hoseok popped open his beer and took a swig.

“So what kind of movies are we going to be watching?” Hoseok asked.

“Well, Yoongi told me you like melodramas, so I figured we should watch one or two of those. And then some action/thriller movies? I haven’t figured out what we should watch.”

“Do you know how many movies we’re going to watch?”

“How about zero?” I muttered.

Seulgi giggled. “You’re so funny, oppa.”

_That wasn’t a joke._

“I think about four of five should be good,” Hoseok said. “We don’t want to watch too many movies.”

I nearly choked on my beer. “Four or five? How long is this marathon going to be?” I didn’t sign up for this.

“It’s a movie marathon. How long did you think it was going to be? We were just going to watch one movie and call it a day?”

_I would prefer no movies._

“Fine, but I don’t want to watch anything that’s too long.” If Seulgi and Hoseok were really going to be watching movies in my apartment, my precious sanctuary, I wanted them out of my hair as soon as I could.

“I’ll finalize the list sometime next week and send it to you guys for your approval, okay?” Seulgi said.

“Okay!” Hoseok beamed.

“Sure, whatever,” I grumbled.

“Now, the next order of business is the menu. What snacks do you guys want to have?”

“Hmmm…” Hoseok tapped his chin. His forehead scrunched up a little. “We definitely need to have popcorn.”

“Caramel?”

Hoseok snapped his fingers. “I like the way you think.”

“And…potato chips?”

“Yeah, I like the kimchi stew-flavored ones.”

Seulgi took out her phone. “I’ll make a list…Let’s see…Caramel popcorn, kimchi stew potato chips…”

“Add azuki bean rice ball snacks.”

“Azuki bean rice ball snacks…How do you feel about seaweed crisps?”

“I love them. Add them to the list!”

Hoseok and Seulgi went back and forth, suggesting snacks to have at the movie marathon, while I drunk my beer in silence. I had no intention of participating in this conversation, let alone any desire to attend this movie marathon.

“Alright! I think that’s everything,” Seulgi said when they were done.

“I can take care of the snacks,” Hoseok said. “It won’t be problem.”

“And I’ll take care of the movies.” She looked at me. “Oppa, since you’ll be opening your apartment up to us, and you don’t like leaving it, you won’t have to do anything.”

 _I wasn’t going to do anything anyways._ “Sure, sounds great.”

“By the way, do you have a DVD player?”

 

“The TV here in the living room comes with a built-in Blu-ray player.”

“Awesome! I’ll see if I can find Blu-ray versions for the movies we end up watching.”

“Hyung, you going to eat any chicken?” Hoseok said. “You haven’t eaten a single piece yet.”

He was right. I hadn’t touched a single piece of chicken. Because every time I was about to reach a hand out and grab a piece, either Hoseok or Seulgi reached for the same box I was just about to stick my hand into. I wasn’t about to risk seeing the darkest memories of either one of them just for a piece of chicken.

“I’m not hungry.”

My stomach grumbled. Hoseok smirked.

_Thanks a lot, stomach._

I coughed once. “I guess…one piece wouldn’t hurt.”

I very carefully reached a hand out for a lemon pepper wing. As soon as my fingers wrapped around it, I quickly pulled my arm back in.

I looked up when I noticed Seulgi’s eyes trained on me. She was staring at me like she was studying me. Or my behavior.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she said. She looked away and went back to eating her chicken.

Why was she staring at me just now? She was definitely studying what I was doing. But why though?

_“You know, oppa, I have you all figured out…You may act gruff on the outside, but you’re really a teddy bear on the inside.”_

Was she trying to figure out more stuff on me? It didn’t make any sense. Why was she so interested in me?

“Seulgi,” Hoseok said, “Hyung tells me you two went out to lunch together, is that right?”

Was he seriously bringing that up right now?

“Oh yeah, I wanted us to check out that Japanese restaurant across the street that you raved about, but they’re closed on Wednesdays. So we went to the cold noodle restaurant just around the corner.”

“How’d you get him to leave his apartment?”

“Simple! I went over to his apartment and suggested we go out for lunch together. And we went.”

 _Yeah, you’re leaving out the part where you ignored me when I said I didn’t want to leave my apartment and basically forced me to come with you_ , I wanted to say.

“Wow. You know, I’ve been trying to get him to come out with me to restaurants ever since he moved here five months ago, and I haven’t been successful yet. But you got him to go out with you just a few days after you moved here. Do you have superpowers or something?”

Seulgi giggled. “No, it’s nothing like that. I guess I’m just pretty good at persuading people.”

_Or manipulating people._

“I mean this is the second time this week he’s left his apartment. This has never happened before!”

“Yeah, and it’s not going to happen ever again because I’m not leaving again,” I said.

“Aww…”

Seulgi tilted her head at me. “But what about the movie?” Seulgi asked.

“What movie?”

“ _The Forgotten Sons_? The two of us were supposed to see it together, remember?”

I sat up straight. When did we agree to that? Right after she suggested we see it, I choked on my water. Then we got interrupted by one of her students. The topic was never brought up again. “We never agreed to—"

“You guys are going to the movies together?” Hoseok sounded like he couldn’t believe it.

“No, we are not, because I never agreed to—”

“Yeah, we’re going to see _The Forgotten Ones_ ,” Seulgi said. “With Song Joong-ki?”

“Why does no one let me finish a sentence around here?” I muttered to myself.

“You got him to not only eat lunch with you but agree to go to the movies with you?” Hoseok asked.

“Once again, I didn’t agree to this—”

“You want to come with us, Hoseok?” Seulgi asked.

“Nah, the movie looks too intense for me. I think I’ll pass.”

I rose to my feet, drawing stares from Hoseok and Seulgi. “That’s it, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Where are you going?” Hoseok asked.

“Back to my room. _Don’t bother me_ ,” I added when Hoseok opened his mouth.

I stormed to my room and shut the door behind me, locking it just for safe measure. I fell onto my bed face-first.

One of the reasons why I left my home in Daegu was to get away from my melodramatic and slightly pushy family. It seemed like I was the only one who hadn’t inherited the drama queen gene.

And it seemed like no matter where I went, I was doomed to attract excessively loud people.

Why couldn’t my neighbors be introverts who rarely left their apartments? Was that too much to ask for?

_“Oh, it’s just one wedding! It won’t be that long.”_

_“I’ll finalize the list sometime next week and send it to you guys for your approval, okay?”_

_“Yeah, we’re going to see The Forgotten Ones.”_

There was my uncle’s wedding I had to get out of attending, a movie marathon at my place I had no choice but to attend, and a movie showing at the movie theater that looked like I was going to be attending with Seulgi.

I heaved a sigh. “I should have just moved in with Junki.”

xxx 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapter was a little short, I was having some writer’s block T_T


	6. Three's A Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi, Hoseok, and Seulgi finally have their movie marathon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the slight hiatus the story has been on for the past two weeks. I didn’t mean to take a hiatus, but it was something that had to be done because I was suffering from some serious writer’s block.  
> During the initial planning stages of A Reason to Smile, I outlined the entire story from start to finish, and I thought everything was perfect. It wasn’t until later that I realized that the pacing for the story was too rushed and in certain parts certain events didn’t make sense or didn’t flow with the rest of the story, and it was clear that most of what I had planned out had to be scrapped.  
> Trying to plan a story out from start to finish was a LOT of work and I didn’t want to go through that again, so I compiled a general list of plot points that I wanted to work into my story and began chapter one. I thought it would work but trying to write week by week with only a loose idea of what was going to happen in the chapter was a little more challenging than I thought. Maybe for some writers this wouldn’t be a problem, but for me it was.   
> I should have planned more of the story out before I published chapter one, and the reason why I have had to miss a week here and there in my update schedule was because I was having serious writer’s block and was second-guessing stuff that I had already put in a previous chapter. I actually considered deleting the story and starting over again with slightly different plot ideas, but I quickly realized that would be ridiculous and there was no reason for me to do that  
> I am trying my best to write every day so I can update every week without fail and I am also in the process of planning out as much of the story as I can so I won’t keep falling into the pit that is writer’s block. I really want to update weekly and I don’t want to disappoint you guys by constantly putting the story on hiatus.   
> That’s all! I just wanted to give you guys a heads-up on what was going on behind the scenes. Sorry for the lengthy author’s note T__T I won’t hold you up anymore. On to the story!

 

**Chapter 6: Three’s A Crowd**

The day after Seulgi and Hoseok came over to my apartment, I threw myself into my work. I took on more projects in an attempt to get my mind off D-Day, the day in which my apartment would be once again invaded by Seulgi and Hoseok, though this time for an extended period of time. My life fell into a comfortable monotony that largely consisted of working, watching TV, playing with Holly, sleeping, rinse and repeat.

That same day, I texted Seulgi and told her that I couldn’t entertain anyone at my apartment until the day of the movie marathon because I had a major project I needed to complete. There was no major project that I had to complete, it was more like little minor projects that weren’t weighing too heavily on my mind, but she didn’t need to know that.

To my relief, she said she understood and said she wouldn’t come over and bother me. As an added bonus, she said she would keep her texts down to a minimum.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about Hoseok. He still came over to my apartment whenever he felt like it, eating up my food and lying all over my couch like he owned the place. But it wasn’t like I could ever do anything about him anyways, no matter how many death glares I gave him.

The next several days went by in a blur, until the day I received a text from Seulgi a few days before D-Day.

_S: Hey guys_ _😊 I finished making the list of movies that we should watch this Saturday. Let me know what you think!_

_Tazza: The High Rollers_

_Train to Busan_

_Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard_

_A Werewolf Boy_

I studied the list carefully.

 _Let’s see…_ Tazza _is about two hours long,_ Train to Busan _is two hours long as well,_ A Werewolf Boy _is two hours too if I’m not mistaken…_

“Why did she have to pick out such long movies for?” I muttered. If my calculations were right, Seulgi and Hoseok were going to be at my apartment for at least eight hours. That was eight hours too long.

_I never should have agreed to this_

My phone beeped.

 _H: Looks good to me! I don’t think I’ve seen_ Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard _so I’ll be looking forward to it!_

 _H: I’m sure Hyung likes the lineup since you included his favorite movie_ Tazza _on the list._

I growled. Why was he giving out information on me for?

_Y: Yeah sure looks fine I guess_

_S: Great! I can’t wait until Saturday_ _😊_

_Y: Quick question: What time are we starting?_

_S: What time do you want to start?_

_Y: Whatever time you want is fine with me_

_At this point I didn’t really care._

_S: Is noon fine with you?_

_Y: Sure let’s do that_

_S: Okay see you then_ _😊_

I put my phone away. Seulgi’s never-ending cheerfulness was almost annoying at times. It just made me dread Saturday even more.

My phone rang. I picked it back up to see my mom was calling.

I answered the call. “Hello?”

“Yoongi, I have terrible news!” Her voice sounded distressed.

There was a heavy feeling in my stomach. “What is it? What happened? Is about Dad? Did something happen to him? Did something happen to Junki?”

“No, no, it’s not about them.”

“What is it then?”

“Your Uncle Kwanghyun…

I braced myself.

“…isn’t getting married anymore!”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“His fiancé called off the wedding!”

That was it? “What’s the terrible news?”

“Yoongi!” My mom said sharply. “Show a little concern for your uncle’s well-being! He’s practically beside himself, I just got off the phone with him.”

“Why did his fiancé call off the wedding?”

“"She said she was having second thoughts. I can't believe it, this close to the wedding." 

“No offense, Mom, but isn’t this for the better? She was less than half his age.”

“That’s beside the point! Your uncle was happy with her. You can’t imagine the pain he he’s going through.”

“I’m sure he’ll find someone else…Preferably, someone closer to his age.”

Mom sighed. “I was looking forward to seeing you all dressed up in a tuxedo…”

“That’s why you wanted me to come to the wedding? So you could see me wearing a tuxedo?”

“Of course that’s not the reason why I wanted you to come to the wedding! I wanted you to come to show support for your uncle. You wearing a tuxedo was going to be the cherry on top!”

“Mom, you know I hate wearing that thing. I’m not a tux kind of guy.”

“Aww, but you look so handsome! I love it when my Little Meow Meow looks all spruced-up!”

I cringed. “What did I tell you about calling me that?”

“Alright, alright. I have to go call your brother and give him the tragic news. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you!”

“Okay, love you too, Mom.”

She hung up the phone.

I looked down at Holly as he played around with one of his dog bone chew toys. “Well, at least that’s one less thing to worry about.”

xxx

Saturday rolled around, and I decided to sleep in longer than I usually did. In just one hour, Seulgi and Hoseok were going to be inside my living room for most of the day. The thought was enough to make me consider pretending to be sick.

I got up to feed Holly, then retreated to my bedroom. I was going to stay in bed until the very last minute,

Hoseok texted me just as I turned the TV on.

_H: Are you ready for the movie marathon? :D :D :D_

_S: -_________-_

_H: Thought I should remind you in case you forgot it was today._

_S: I wish I could forget_

_H: You’re going to have a great time, Hyung! I can feel it_

_S: Whatever_

Hoseok didn’t text me anymore after that, which I couldn’t say I had a problem with. I flipped through the channels on the TV until I found a show called _Street Food Fighter_. I could barely focus on what was happening in the show however. Something about a guy traveling around the world and trying out different street foods? Eventually, I just started listening to music on my phone to lower my annoyance levels.

At 11:50, I heard Hoseok’s characteristic knocking at my door.

I sighed deeply. It was time.

I trudged to the front door like a death row inmate awaiting his execution and opened the door. Hoseok and Seulgi grinned at me from the other side of the doorway, each of them holding large bags in their hands.

“Good afternoon!” They chorused.

_Kill me now._

“Ready to get started?” Seulgi asked.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I said before I moved aside to let them in.

“Perfect!” Seulgi smiled.

Hoseok moved past me to get inside the apartment while Seulgi reached into a bag and pulled out a stack of DVDs.

“Here you go!” She held the DVDs out to me. “Given that we’re watching the movies on your TV, I figured I should go on ahead and give these to you now since you’ll be the one setting everything up.”

I silently took them from her and she headed over to the living room where Hoseok was already setting up the snacks.

I inhaled deeply through my nose, then exhaled out my mouth.

“Alright, Yoongi,” I told myself. “Time to get your game face on.”

xxx

“Okay, is everyone ready?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Seulgi and Hoseok said in unison.

“Does anyone need to use the bathroom before we start?”

“Nope!” They said in unison.

_Are they long-lost twins or something?_

“Seulgi, this is going to be a random question but what day were you born?”

“February 10,” she promptly replied.

Hoseok was born on February 18th. Maybe they weren’t twins but the fact that their personalities were so similar to one another was a little coincidental.

“Why do you ask?” Seulgi asked.

“No reason, I just—”

“He wanted to write it down so he can make sure he doesn’t forget your birthday next year,” Hoseok said.

“ _Ohhh_ , okay!”

I glared at Hoseok. He innocently ate a few kernels of popcorn while giving me a _what-did-I-do_ look.

I growled quietly. “Let’s just start the movie.” I hit the play button and fell onto the couch next to Hoseok.

Seulgi was on the other side of Hoseok, and even if Hoseok hadn’t volunteered to sit in between me and her, I still would have made him sit in the center. I wanted her as far away from me as possible.

Hoseok was holding the popcorn bowl in his lap and Seulgi reached a hand over to scoop some kernels into her mouth. I wouldn’t mind some popcorn right about now, but I didn’t want to risk accidentally touching her skin. Instead, I picked up a bottle of Coke from off the table in front of me and took a sip.

A few minutes into the movie, Seulgi whispered something into Hoseok’s ear. He whispered something back. Occasionally, they would whisper into each other’s ears, but they were always quiet enough that I could focus on the movie without being distracted. I was legitimately surprised. I thought Seulgi was going to be one of those people that talked loudly during movies.

Once Hoseok and Seulgi finished off the popcorn—which I ate none of—they moved onto the bowl of kimchi stew-flavored chips.

I glanced down at the chips. Seulgi reached a hand into the bowl and I quickly looked away. No, it wasn’t worth it.

_Maybe it won’t be that bad. She’s happy all the time. Who’s to say she has anything painful in her past?_

I shook my head. What was I thinking? Hoseok was happy all the time and he still had unpleasant memories that I bore witness to. I learned time and time again that just because someone was always in a good mood it didn’t mean there wasn’t anything something dark lurking behind the surface.

“Are you okay, oppa?”

I turned my head to see Seulgi staring at me, her forehead crinkled slightly. “Huh?”

“I saw you shaking your head just now. I wanted to know if something was up.”

How did she notice that? I didn’t think I moved my head that much for anyone to notice. Wasn’t she supposed to be watching the movie?”

“It’s nothing, “I said, hoping she would buy my bluff. It didn’t look like she did. I sighed inwardly. “There was a mosquito or something trying to fly into my ear.”

The concern immediately disappeared off Seulgi’s face. “Oh! Okay then!” She turned back to the TV.

Hoseok leaned towards me. “Nice save,” he whispered in my ear. I scowled at him.

The rest of the movie went by rather smoothly. Weirdly enough, Seulgi didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t eating anything. She had to have noticed I didn’t reach my hand into anything either of them they were eating.  She noticed everything else about me, so it was a little surprising that she hadn’t noticed I barely moved a muscle since the movie started.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the movie went off and the screen went black before the opening credits slowly crawled upwards.

_One down, three to go._

Hoseok stood up in a flash. “Be right back, gotta use the bathroom,” he said as he hurried out the room.

“I’ll order the pizza now,” Seulgi announced.

“Okay!” Hoseok called back. “The number’s on the fridge!”

Seulgi got up and walked into the kitchen. Several seconds later, I heard her dialing a number. The phone rang a couple times before someone picked up on the other end.

“Hi!” She said brightly into the receiver. “I’d like to place an order…Delivery please…”

I tuned Seulgi’s conversation with the pizza place employee out as Holly trotted over towards me, having just woken up from a nap. I picked him up and sat him in my lap, then started rubbing his back. He wagged his tail back and forth.

“Well at least one of us is happy,” I said.

Holly rolled onto his back and I rubbed his belly. That really got him going. Belly rubs never failed to work on him.

“You want to sit on my lap for the rest of today?”

He yapped once. I smiled at him. “I always knew you were a good boy.”

“Oppa!”

I quickly turned my head towards the sound of Seulgi’s voice. Her sudden outburst nearly startled me. “What, what is it?”

“Do you like shrimp?”

That was all it was? “Yeah, I eat it,” I answered.

“And I’ll take one shrimp supreme,” Seulgi said into the receiver.

I returned my attention back to Holly, who was staring up at me, patiently waiting to have his belly rubbed again. I rubbed his belly again and sweet-talked him some more until I felt a slight dip in the couch, meaning Seulgi had returned to her seat.

I looked at her. “How much pizza did you order?”

“Hoseok told me to order two medium pizzas. He said we had other stuff to eat, so there was no need to order a bunch of pizza.”

Okay, this could work. As long as both pizza boxes were open at the same time and I didn’t reach into the same pizza box Seulgi would be reaching into, I could get some pizza without any problems.

“Are you going to put the next movie in?” Seulgi asked.

“Huh? Oh, right.” I gently set Holly on the floor. “Uh, what was next?”

“ _Train to Busan_.”

“Right.”

I took the _Tazza_ disc and put it back in its case, then inserted the _Train to Busan_ disc into the Blu-ray player. I went back to my seat on the couch, picked Holly up, and placed him back in my lap.

I froze. _Wait a minute, where was Hoseok?_

“Is Hoseok still in the bathroom? What is he doing in there?” _It shouldn’t take him this long to pee._

“Maybe…he’s doing number two,” Seulgi said.

My eyes narrowed. “Great.” Now we had to wait on him. And he was taking a dump in my bathroom. Couldn’t he have done this in his own?

“Hey, did you get a chance to check out Origamizer?” Seulgi asked. “The origami-generating software I told you about last week?”

Oh no. Since Hoseok wasn’t here, and likely wasn’t going to be out here anytime soon, I was going to have to make conversation with Seulgi.

“I…didn’t get around to it.” I hadn’t thought about that thing once since Seulgi and I ate at that restaurant.

“That’s okay! I know you’ve been busy lately with work. Ooh! Did you complete any interesting projects?”

I glanced at the bathroom door. _Hoseok, where are you?_ “No, I haven’t done anything interesting lately. Just brochures, business cards…postcards. Nothing too crazy.”

“You haven’t had any big projects to complete?”

“Not in a while.”

“What was the last one you had to do?”

_What was this, 21 questions?_

“I did some design work for my father’s company.”

“Wow, your dad owns a company?” Seulgi sounded intrigued.

“Yeah, he owns…” I trailed off. Wait. I was about to make a big mistake.

There was no way I could tell Seulgi my dad was the chairman for AP Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country. Then this would turn into 100 questions. And I would get more unwanted attention than I could handle.

“He owns what?” Seulgi asked.

“He…owns…” I looked down at Holly, trying to think of something. He stared up at me as if to say _don’t look at me_. “He…owns a construction company.”

It wasn’t a total lie. My dad really did own a construction company. It was just one of the many subsidiaries that operated under the AP brand.

“Really? I guess that means you didn’t follow in his footsteps, huh?”

“No, but my older brother did. Since he’s the oldest, the conglo—I mean, the _company’s_ going to get passed down to him eventually. As the youngest son, I had the option of working there or striking out on my own.”

“Why’d you choose graphic design?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, I just really liked drawing and art in general, and graphic design was the safest way to get satisfy my passions and not end up as a starving artist.”

“I see,” Seulgi said as she nodded her head.

I glanced again at the bathroom door. I was starting to become desperate.

“Do you ever get bored staying in your apartment all day?”

I stiffened for a moment. I tried to remain nonchalant as I slowly rubbed Holly’s back. “No, I can’t say I do,” I responded in a cool voice.

“Really?”

“ _Yes_ , really.” I stared into her eyes. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Oh no, it’s not that. I just thought you might get…lonely from time to time.”

“Why would I get lonely for? I have Holly, as you can see.”

“Well yeah, but—”

“I have no desire to leave my apartment because everything I need is right here. And I don’t like people. They annoy me.”

Seulgi gasped quietly, covering her mouth with a hand. “Do I…Do I annoy you?”

“What?”

She leaned towards me. I leaned away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be annoying! I shouldn’t have asked that question, should I? I was just being curious, that’s all! I didn’t mean to—”

“Will you calm down?” I snapped. “I’m not annoyed at you.” I was a little, but I had to say something to make her be quiet.

“You’re not?”

“No, I’m not annoyed at you. Now will you _please_ relax?”

She brightened in an instant. “Okay!”

The bathroom door opened and Hoseok stepped outside. I glared at him.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked.

I continued glaring at him. “Are you done blowing up my bathroom?”

Hoseok frowned. “Blowing up your bathroom? What are you talking about? I didn’t blow up your bathroom.”

“Then what were you doing in there so long?”

“Oh, well after I peed I suddenly realized I never texted Miso back about our plans for our next YouTube video.”

I stared at him,

“So I had to take care of it.”

“…in the bathroom?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Hoseok shrugged his shoulders. “I had to do it before I forgot.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just sit down so we can watch the next movie.”

Hoseok took his seat back on the couch and I hit the play button on the remote.

A few seconds later, he slowly leaned towards me. “Just so you know…I made that whole thing up.”

“What?” I sharply whispered.

“I just wanted to give you and Seulgi some alone time.”

“ _What_?” I said louder this time.

“Is everything okay?” Seulgi asked.

Hoseok leaned away. “Everything’s fine. Hyung and I were just discussing a private matter. Guy stuff.”

I fumed silently. This was unbelievable. How many times did I have to tell Hoseok that I wasn’t interested in Seulgi for him to get it through his thick head? And what made him think a relationship with her, or with any girl for that matter, could work when I was cursed?

I exhaled quietly through my nose. _Just forget about it, Yoongi. You can deal with Hoseok later._

xxx

“Whoa!” Hoseok exclaimed as he opened the pizza boxes. “The pizza looks amazing! Mrs. Pizza really outdid themselves this time!”

He wasn’t wrong. The BBQ chicken on the BBQ chicken garlic pizza looked like it was cooked to perfection and the shrimp on the shrimp supreme pizza had never looked fresher.

“You can take the first slice, Hyung,” Hoseok said, giving me a knowing look. He was letting me go first so I wouldn’t have to risk touching hands with either him or Seulgi.

Hoseok could be helpful when he wanted to be.

I picked out a slice of the shrimp supreme. Seulgi did the same while Hoseok grabbed a slice of the BBQ chicken pizza.

“Ready to start the next movie?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Seulgi and Hoseok said together.

I hit the play button on the remote and sat back.

Nothing eventful happened during Train to Busan. Seulgi got up to use the bathroom halfway through the movie and that was about it. I was extra careful to grab pizza only after Seulgi or Hoseok grabbed a piece.

After _Train to Busan_ went off, I stuck in _Jeon Woo Chi: Taoist Wizard_. Seulgi ran back to her apartment to fetch some more snacks right after I hit the play button.

“Great movie marathon, huh?” Hoseok asked.

I glared at him.

“What? Come on, you have to admit this is better than what you were you expecting.”

I grunted. “I will admit nothing.”  

“We should do it again.”

I gave him a look.

“Or not.”

Once Seulgi returned with the snacks, we started watching the movie. It was me and Hoseok’s first time watching the movie and Hoseok clearly had a lot to say about the movie.

I breathed a sigh of relief when the movie went off two hours later. I didn’t dislike the movie, it was alright in my opinion, but I was eager for the movie marathon to be over. Only one more movie and then I would be free. I popped _A Werewolf Boy_ inside the Blu-ray with pleasure.

Seulgi and Hoseok were quiet for most of the movie. At least mostly quiet.

During the scene in which Sun-yi left Chul-soo in the forest and told him to go away, I heard quiet sniffling sounds.

I turned to the right and saw Hoseok with tears in his eyes and a pained expression on his face.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “Are you crying?”

He sniffed. “It’s just…It’s just so sad…”

I heard another sniffing sound and looked over to see Seulgi on the brink of tears. “It is sad, isn’t it?” she said.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at the TV. “Oh brother…”

Minutes later, I breathed another sigh of relief when the movie ended and Park Bo-young’s voice played over the credits.

It was finally over.

I stood up. “Well it’s getting late and I have work to do tomorrow, so…bye.”

“Aw, you’re going to kick us out this quickly?” Hoseok pouted.

“Yeah, I am. Bye.”

“That’s okay,” Seulgi said. “I have to some papers I need to look over anyways. I’ll help you clean it up!”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to…” I tried saying, but Seulgi was already picking up the empty pizza boxes.

Well I guess the quicker we clean our mess up, the quicker they’ll leave my apartment.

I picked up an empty bottle from off the table, but it slipped out of my fingers and fell onto the floor. I bent down to pick it up.

I didn’t Seulgi had bent down to pick it up until it was too late.

Our fingers touched.

_A dark green garbage truck ran over a small Corkie in the middle of the street._

_“Peanut!” I screamed._

I recoiled from Seulgi in a flash and stood up, taking a couple of steps back.

She looked up at me. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Oppa? Are you okay?”

The image of the Corkie being run over replayed over and over in my mind.

“I have to use the bathroom,” I said quickly, and I hurried away.

I reached the bathroom and shut the door behind me and locked it. I stood in front of the kitchen sink and slapped my cheek a few times.

I had tried so hard to maintain my distance from Seulgi, but it still didn’t matter. I now had another terrible memory to join the rest swirling around inside my brain.

Peanut was the same exact size as Holly.

Was that why the memory was so hard to deal with? Because the dog reminded me of Holly?

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed deeply. “I need a vacation.”

I took a moment or two to compose myself, then exited the bathroom.

Seulgi dropped the trash bag she was just holding and stared at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just…” Crap, what was I supposed to say? “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Seulgi didn’t look convinced, not that I blamed her. From her perspective, I ran out of the room right after we accidentally touched hands and I didn’t tell her why.

“Let’s just get this all cleaned up,” I said.

The three of us worked together to clean up the living room and I, carefully, returned Seulgi’s DVDs to her.

“I had a great time!” She grinned.

“Uh-huh,” I said.

“I had a great time too!” Hoseok said as he tied up the trash bag.

“That’s good,” I said.

Hoseok lifted the trash bag and hefted it over his shoulder. “Well I’m going to go take this out and get back to my apartment. I’ll see you guys later!”

“Okay, bye!” Seulgi waved him out the door.

She followed him out the apartment and I went after so I could close the door behind her. She turned around to face me as soon as she crossed over the doorway. “Guess I’ll see you around?”

“Uh, maybe.”

Seulgi stared at me in silence. I held my hand on my doorknob, ready to close the door.

“Is there something you want to say?”

A sly smile slowly appeared on her face.

“Seriously, are you going to say anything?”

She grinned. “I figured it out.”

 _What was she talking about?_ “Figured out what?”

“I knew you were keeping something from me, and I figured out what it is.”

I froze. No…No, she…She couldn’t have figured it out…could she? I mean I know she’s a certified genius and she was more perceptive than most people, but she couldn’t be _this_ good, could she?

She suddenly leaned her lower half forward towards me. I automatically took a step backwards.

“I know your secret.”

xxx

 


	7. To Make Matters Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi asks Hoseok for help. Things go downhill from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaa--acck! Sorry for the delay. I had no idea how I wanted to end the chapter so I was stuck on it for the longest. Then I was hit with a burst of inspiration a few days ago and I finished it. It's not as long as I would like, but then again, quality over quantity, right?
> 
> On to the story!

Previously on  _A Reason to Smile_

_Seulgi stared at me in silence. I held my hand on my doorknob, ready to close the door._

_“Is there something you want to say?”_

_A sly smile slowly appeared on her face._

_“Seriously, are you going to say anything?”_

_She grinned. “I figured it out.”_

_What was she talking about?_ _“Figured out what?”_

_“I knew you were keeping something from me, and I figured out what it is.”_

_I froze. No…No, she…She couldn’t have figured it out…could she? I mean I know she’s a certified genius and she was more perceptive than most people, but she couldn’t be this good, could she?_

_She suddenly leaned her lower half forward towards me. I automatically took a step backwards._

_“I know your secret.”_

**Chapter 7: To Make Matters Worse**

“W-What secret?” I fought to keep my voice even.

“You…”

My heart beat rapidly in my chest, almost ringing in my ears.

“You like me.”

“I—what?”

Seulgi smiled. “You like me.”

_What in the…_

I opened my mouth. I closed it. I opened it again. “…what?”

Seulgi stood back up. “I know I probably shocked you by figuring this out myself, but I like to pride myself on my ability to uncover things about other people.” She grinned.

I slowly rubbed my forehead with my left hand for a few seconds. Why did stuff like this happen to me?

“I hate to break this to you,” I said slowly, “but you’ve got it all wrong. I don’t like you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Seulgi’s forehead crinkled slightly like she was thinking about something. “Then…how come you act so nervous around me?”

“When did I act nervous around you?”

“You seem to get nervous whenever we’re really close to one another, you freaked out when we nearly touched one another at the cold noodles restaurant last week, and just now you freaked out when we touched hands earlier and you escaped to the bathroom.”

“Yeah, well…” _Crap, what am I supposed to say now?_ “That was because…”

Seulgi stared at me.

“I’m…a germaphobe.”

“A germaphobe?”

“Yeah, I’m a…germaphobe.”

Seulgi’s eyes narrowed slightly. I could almost see the gears moving inside her mind.

_Yeah, she’s onto me._

“Are you sure you’re not just making that up?”

“Of course I’m not just making it up. It’s the truth. That’s why I don’t like leaving my apartment. I’m a germaphobe.”

“Huh." Seulgi crossed her arms over her chest. "Hoseok didn’t tell me you were a germaphobe. It seems like the kind of thing someone would mention if they’re going to be around someone.”

“Yeah, well—”

“Why didn’t you mention to me that you were a germaphobe earlier? I would have understood.”

“I just—"

“I have a cousin he’s a germaphobe and he’s very picky about the stuff that comes inside his apartment. You didn’t even clean off the DVDs when I gave them to you.”

“Well, that’s because—”

“You also refused the hand sanitizer I offered you at the restaurant and didn’t bother wiping off the table before we started eating.”

“Because I—”

“And your mysophobia doesn’t deter you from having a dog? I was under the impressions germaphobes avoided animals because they carried germs.”

“Well, those are…Those are very good observations…” I couldn’t get anything past her, could I?"

“It’s okay, oppa," she said. "You don’t have to lie to me to hide your feelings.”

Now I was getting frustrated. “I’m not lying! I really don’t like you!”

“I’m very flattered, but I’m afraid I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now.”

“I wasn’t—”

“But I sincerely hope this doesn’t make things awkward between us. I still want to see _The Forgotten Ones_ with you when it comes out.”

“It won’t because I—”

“Great! Well I have to head back to my apartment now, but I’ll see you around, okay? And don’t worry. I won’t tell Hoseok about your crush on me.”

I groaned loudly. “How many times do I have to tell you? _I. Don’t. Like. You.”_

“Whatever you say, oppa,” Seulgi said with a wink. She turned around and walked away. “Have a good night!”

I heard Seulgi open the door to her apartment and close the door behind her. 

“That’s it. I need new neighbors.”

xxx

I told Hoseok about Seulgi’s false conclusion about me liking her when he came over to my apartment for dinner the next day, uninvited I might add.

“She thinks you like her?” he asked.

“Yeah, and it’s all your fault.”

“How is this my fault?”

“ _You_  were the one who agreed to the movie marathon, not me. If she hadn’t come over here, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Oh come on, you can’t seriously blame me for this.”

“I can and I am.”

Hoseok pouted. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “She really thinks you like her?”

“No matter what I said or what I tried to say, she still believes I have a thing for her.”

“Uh-huh…Do you?”

I glared at Hoseok.

He threw his hands up in the air. “Hey, I’m just asking.”

“Have you heard me express any kind of romantic interest in her?”

“No, but it’s not like you tell me everything.” Hoseok swirled his chopsticks around in the bulgogi stew until he picked out a mushroom. “You like to keep things to yourself.”

“And what’s so wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “It’s just…You know you can talk to me about stuff, right? I’m a great listener.” He grinned.

I nearly rolled my eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

We sat in silence for several seconds until Hoseok started chuckling.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“It’s just…” Hoseok chuckled a couple more times. “I can’t believe you told her you were a germaphobe. Did you really think she was going to fall for that? You don’t give her enough credit.”

I scowled. He was right, but I didn’t want to admit it to his face. “I was desperate. I didn’t want her to get the impression that I liked her.”

“Yeah…" He sighed deeply. "It’s too bad though.”

“What?”

“That she’s not looking for a boyfriend right now.”

I stared hard at Hoseok. “And _why_ is that a bad thing?”

“No reason.” Hoseok chuckled nervously.

I gave him one last week before we went back to eating in silence.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Hoseok asked.

“What is it?”

He fidgeted around for a bit. “What did you see when you and Seulgi touched hands yesterday?”

The memory of Seulgi’s dog being run over flashed in my mind. I flinched involuntarily.

“Oh my gosh, was it that bad? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked!”

“It’s okay, Hoseok. I just…saw her dog being run over by a garbage truck.”

Hoseok gasped quietly. “What kind of dog was it?”

“A Corkie. It was the same size as Holly.”

Hoseok glanced over at Holly napping in his dog bed. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Hoseok muttered.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen someone’s pet get run over by a vehicle. I should…I should get used to it.”

Hoseok sighed loudly. I glanced at him. He looked upset. “Why do you keep on saying stuff like that? ‘I should get used to it.’ It doesn’t matter how many times you see the same kind of memory over and over again, you’ll _never_ get used to it. For goodness sake, Hyung, you’re not an unfeeling robot! It’s okay to be affected by the stuff you see.”

I blinked. This was the first time I had seen Hoseok get angry about something. I didn’t even think he was capable of getting angry.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just wanted to put that out there.”

“Well…What else am I supposed to do? In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t exactly have a lot of options.”

“I know, I know. I just hate that you have to deal with stuff like this. It’s not fair.”

“No one said life was fair.”

Silence enveloped the room. 

I cleared my throat. “Can we talk about something else, please? Like something that doesn’t have to do with my curse? Or with Seulgi?”

“Okay.” Hoseok gasped loudly. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! I have exciting news!”

“What is it?”

Hoseok grinned as if he had just won a million dollars. “Dawon and Minori are coming to Korea for a visit! And they’re bringing Haru with them!”

Dawon was Hoseok’s sister and Minori was her Japanese-American husband whom she married last year. Dawon had given birth to a baby son named Haru at the end of February, just a couple weeks before my birthday. Since Dawon hadn’t returned to Korea from New York since before Haru was born, Hoseok had only seen his nephew through video chats with his sister and photos she sent him.

I already knew what Dawon and her family looked like because Hoseok had sent every photo Dawon sent him to my phone. My phone had never blown up so much as the day Haru was born.

“Wait, when you say she’s coming back to Korea, do you mean she’s going to your hometown of Gwangju or do you mean she’s coming here to Seoul?”

“She said she’s stopping by Gwangju first to see our parents and the rest of our family. Then she’s coming here to see me.”

I'm not sure yet. She didn’t really give me any concrete dates. But I'll be sure to keep you posted."

“Uh-huh.”

Hoseok continued grinning. “You have to see Haru. I bet he’s even more adorable in person.”

I hesitated. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you have to. You should hold him too. He’s a baby. He shouldn’t have any bad memories, right?”

He had me there. I never held a baby since I had been cursed so I didn’t know for sure, but in theory, I wouldn't see anything while holding him. Haru wasn’t even two full months old yet. Children couldn’t remember events that happened to them before the age of three.

“Alright, fine.” Hoseok grinned wider.

“But they’re not coming inside my apartment.”

“I expected that.”

xxx

I tried forgetting all about Seulgi, but I had forgotten it was impossible to forget about someone like Seulgi when she was so invested in my life.

The next day, she was texting me, during my lunch break when I was trying to watch TV no less.

_S: Hey, what’s up_ _😊_

Sometimes I wished I could ignore her texts. 

  _Y: Nothing much_

_S: So what were your thoughts on the movie marathon? I didn't really get a chance to ask you yesterday_

_Y: It was alright I guess_

_S: I'm glad you liked it! :D_

Maybe I should have been more specific.

Y: I would appreciate it if there were no more movie marathons at my apartment if you and Hoseok want to have another one go on ahead but it won't be happening at my place and I won't be participating

_S: Ahh...I see what's going on_

_Y: What's going on?_

_S: You don't want me around because I rejected you, is that right?_

"What the..." I exhaled angrily. Why was it that nothing I said got through to this girl? What did I have to do to make her see I didn't have the slightest inkling of romantic interest in her? I didn't even have platonic interest in her. 

_Y: I already told you I DON'T LIKE YOU you've got it all wrong_

_S: And I already told you you don't have to lie to me to hide your feelings_

_Y: There's nothing to hide I really don't like you_

_S: Okay :)_

Great, now she was mocking me.

_Y: Did you want something? I'm kind of busy at the moment._

_S: Are you working?_

_Y: Yeah I am_

_S: Okay, I'll text you later. Bye!_

I put my phone away with a sigh and slowly massaged my temples. I was starting to feel a headache coming on. The kind of headache one gets when they have to deal with particularly difficult people. I thought Hoseok was too much to handle when I first met him. But Seulgi put him to shame. 

I picked my phone back up and texted Hoseok.

_Y: Can you please tell Seulgi I'm not into her?_

_H: Is it that serious?_

_Y: Yes it is she thinks the reason why I don't want her over here is because she thinks I'm upset that she rejected me_

_H: Are you upset?_

_Y: -__________-_

_H: Just joking please don't kill me :p_

_Y: The offer is tempting..._

_H: Okay I'll tell Seulgi. She's coming to my dance class on Tuesday. Can you wait a couple days?_

_Y: Sure yeah as long as the problem's taken care of_

_H: Leave it to me!_

xxx

Seulgi didn't text me for the rest of the day. And she didn't text me at all the next day. Or the day after that. It was Tuesday and I had received no new texts from her since Sunday.

I would have been more pleased with this fact had I not known the reason why she probably wasn't texting me was because she was giving me space after she "rejected me." I could only hope Hoseok could set things straight tonight.

_But wait, if she realizes I don't like her, will that means she'll go back to texting me more often? And showing up at my apartment more?_

I just couldn't catch a break, could I?

Someone knocked on my door at a quarter to nine while I was watching TV. From the sound of it, it was Hoseok. I wasn't even going to try and guess what song he was doing.

I opened the door and he grinned at me. "Hey there, Hyung!! What's up?"

"Nothing. Did you do it?"

Hoseok laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He avoided eye contact with me. I frowned.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." He chuckled a few times.

I stared at him. "What did you do?" 

 "Oh nothing, nothing. I totally didn't make the situation worse or anything." Hoseok laughed nervously.

I narrowed my eyes. I could see Hoseok gulp a little. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"I...er..." Hoseok fidgeted nervously. 

I gasped. He couldn't have. "Don't tell me...You didn't tell her about my curse, did you?"

"No, of course not! I would never tell her something like that without your permission."

I exhaled in relief. 

"I told her that you had a stomach virus."

"Wait, what?"

"And the reason why you didn't want her touching you was because you were afraid of her catching what you had."

"What?"

"And the reason why you weren't eating much yesterday was because of a loss of appetite, which is one of the symptoms."

"What?"

"And the reason why your ran off to the bathroom so quickly was because you had an episode of...explosive diarrhea."

My eyes bugged out. " _What_?"

"It just came out! No pun intended."

"I didn't want..." I knew I shouldn't care what Seulgi thought because I didn't really care for her, but I didn't want her to think I had explosive diarrhea. 

"I thought you said you were going to fix this," I said. "What in the world made you think telling her that I had _explosive diarrhea_ was fixing it?"

"Well I had to tell her something for why you were acting so weird around her. There weren't exactly a lot of options."

"Where is she now?"

"Uh..." Hoseok smiled nervously. "At the convenience store across the street getting you medicine?"

"So she's coming here? To my apartment? Again?"

Hoseok didn't say anything at first. Then he laughed. "You know we're going to laugh at this in a few years."

I stared at him.

"Maybe ten." 

"Leave now."

"Okay, good night!" Hoseok gave me a quick wave before he jetted back to his apartment. I shook my head at him before I closed the door to my apartment.

I sat down on the couch. Holly hopped onto my lap. 

"Don't get too comfortable," I told him. "I have to get up to answer the door for Seulgi when comes over."

Not even ten minutes later, there was a knock at my door. I got up to answer the door and saw Seulgi waiting on the other side carrying a white plastic bag containing what I assumed to be medications. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Seulgi asked me, looking at me with concerned eyes.

"Fine." I glanced down at the bag of medications again. I felt a little bad that she wasted money like this. Then again, it was all Hoseok's fault for telling her I was sick. "You really didn't have to do all this."

"What are you talking about? Of course I had to do this! Stomach viruses are nothing to mess with. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Seulgi walked inside and Holly ran over to her, barking happily. Seulgi grinned at him and bent down to pet him. "Hey! How have you been? Have you been a good boy? Have you?"

Holly licked her face, causing her to giggle. It was still unfair how quickly Holly warmed up to her compared to me.

Seulgi stood up and walked into the living room, Holly keeping up with her at her heels. She sat the bag down on the table and pulled out a green bottle.

"This is for diarrhea." She pulled out a pink bottle. "This is also for diarrhea. I wasn't sure which one to get so I got both." She pulled out more medications. "This is for nausea, this for abdominal cramps, this is for vomiting..." She pulled out a bottle of water. "Oh, and I also got you some water to drink. Staying hydrated is an essential part of the healing process." She pulled out two more bottles of water, then looked over at me. "Resting is the most important part of the healing process so I hope you're doing plenty of that. Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," I muttered. I cleared my throat. "Seriously though, you didn't have to do all this. It's not that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal! Did you know you can die from a stomach virus?"

"Yeah, but—"

"I'll make sure you get back to perfect health, okay?" 

"Sure, yeah, sounds good. You should go now," I said. "Before you get...infected."

"Oh, you're right! Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"No, I think you got everything covered. Thanks."

"No problem! I'm happy to help! I, uh..." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for assuming that you liked me. I must have made you uncomfortable. And I guess you were too embarrassed to tell me about your...stomach problems to set things straight."

Was it too late to tell her that I didn't really have a stomach virus and that this was all a big misunderstanding? 

_So she can go back to thinking that I like her? Not a chance._

"It's okay. I'm not mad." 

"I really hope you feel better."

"I'm already feeling better. There's no need for your concern."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." She tucked a piece of hair beyond her ear. "My older brother had a really bad stomach virus once and I guess I freaked out when Hoseok told me you had one."

"I didn't know you have an older brother."

" _Had_ a older brother."

I frowned.

"He's dead."

My mouth fell open. _Oh crap_. "Oh. I mean, I'm so sorry, I had no idea, I—"

"It's fine, it's fine," Seulgi said with a tight smile. "You didn't know."

_Should I ask how he died? Is that rude?_

"He would have been 25 next month. He would have been a pilot too. He said he wanted to see the world while being paid for it." She chuckled once. A wistful look appeared on her face. "He died in a car accident. He was 13 and I was 10."

"Were you in the car with him?"

Seulgi shook her head. "No, he was riding with my dad from the movie theater They went to see a movie I had no interest in seeing and that was the last time I saw him...At least that's why my parents told me."

"What do you mean?"

Seulgi stared off into the distance. "I can't remember much of what happened the day my brother died. My mom told me that when I was told the news of my brother's death, I passed out and hit my head on the living room table. And I lost my memory of that day as a result of mild trauma."

She looked over at me and smiled. "It's too bad he's not around anymore. I think you guys would have gotten along great." 

"I...I really am sorry," I said. "I have an older brother and I can't imagine what I would do if I lost him."

"I didn't know you had an older brother. What does he do?"

"He's the Director for..." _Oh wait, I wasn't supposed to tell Seulgi that my family owned a conglomerate. I couldn't tell her Junki was the Director of Marketing._ "He's a director...manager of sorts at my father's construction company."

"How old is he?"

"26. He'll turn 27 in November. He wants the two of us to go on a trip somewhere for his birthday."

Seulgi smiled. "You guys must be close."

"Yeah, we are. Even though he can be annoying at times..." I muttered.

Seulgi laughed. She checked the time on her phone.

 "I should probably get going now." She waved to Holly. "Bye Holly! I'll see you later!"

Holly barked twice.

I walked Seulgi to the door and she said goodbye to me as she went back to her apartment. I closed the door behind her and returned to the couch. 

_Seulgi wasn't in the car with her brother when he died. So she wouldn't have any memories of his death. I had probably seen the worse of her memories when I witnessed her dog dying._

So why did I had this feeling that there was more to the story than what Seulgi had told me? 

xxx

 


End file.
